Shoton of Konoha
by Arch-Daishou
Summary: Adopted: Stormy Rebel (thank You!) What if Naruto had the Shoton (Crystal Release) Kekkei Genkai? What if it awoke in the forest with Mizuki? NaruSaku. Will follow the arcs in the manga (and maybe one or two in the anime), with changes of course.
1. Discovery

**Disclaimer**: I do now own Naruto

Adopted from Stormy Rebel

Hope you like!

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

**Chapter 1:** **Discovery**

"Why would you help a demon? It killed your parents didn't it? It only thinks about itself, how it can get stronger, how it can get revenge" Mizuki said while he looked at Iruka lay bleeding on the forest floor.

Naruto was behind a tree at the tree line, trying to stay as quiet as possible. He still couldn't fathom what Mizuki-sensei had said. '_I am the fox? I'm the Kyuubi no Yoko? I can't be… can I?' _It made more and more sense when he thought about it. That was why all the villagers hated him. That was why no one cared for him. That was why he didn't have parents.

"You are right. That's how the fox it" Iruka said. Naruto tried hard not to cry out loud. Even Iruka agreed. The only person other than the Sandaime Hokage who actually cared for him, the one he thought was like a father, or maybe a brother, thought he was a demon.

"But that is _not_ how Uzumaki Naruto is! He is one of the most caring persons I know, and he just wants to be acknowledged! He may have that damned fox sealed inside him, but that doesn't make him the fox, more than a sealing scroll makes it what is sealed inside it! He is my student, and more than that, he is a person I care a great deal about! He is like family to me! I won't let you hurt him!"

Naruto was smiling. And not just a little smile; it was an ear to ear, sun shining out of your mouth; your chin is hurting smile. He had someone who thought him as family! Then his face turned serious. Iruka-sensei, his big brother figure, his precious person, was going to get hurt!

Naruto ran out from his hiding spot, just to see Mizuki throw his fuma shuriken. Naruto ran as fast as he could, but he wasn't fast enough. He could see it get closer and closer to Iruka-sensei. Naruto ran and ran, but he wasn't fast enough. It was 3 meters from Iruka now. He wouldn't make it. He wasn't fast enough to protect the first person to really acknowledge him. "NO!" Naruto yelled with all his might, his arm reaching out for Iruka.

The earth began to quake, and a big cluster of pink crystals grew out of the ground, blocking the shuriken. That left two Academy instructors and student speechless and stunned. Naruto snapped out of it first, turning to face Mizuki with the most serious look he had ever given. He pointed at him "I won't let you hurt Iruka-sensei. Not now, not ever!"

He put his hand in front of him, weaving a hand seal crossing his index- and middle fingers "Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu". A big cloud of smoke exploded in the forest. When the smoke cleared, Mizuki and Iruka couldn't believe what they were seeing. Over a thousand orange clothed Naruto's were standing in the clearing and the surrounding trees. As one they charged towards Mizuki. "Not now, not ever!"

Screams could be heard all over Konoha, as the former Konoha-nin was beaten by a twelve year old academy student.

**- Two minutes later -**

"Sorry Iruka-sensei, I think I may have gone a bit overboard" the blonde said with his trademark smile, while scratching the back of his head.

Iruka stood dumb folded staring at Naruto. He turned it into a smile "I think I can overlook it this once". He turned his head to look at the discolored formation of meat that was lying on the forest floor. He then turned his gaze a bit to look at the big crystal-formation _what was that_. He turned his gaze back on Naruto, who was still grinning. "Close your eyes Naruto"

Naruto just stared back at him "why?"

Iruka rolled his eyes "Just do it Naruto."

**- A few minutes later -**

"Iruka-sensei, are you done soon? Can I open my eyes already" Naruto asked in an annoyed tone.

"Just a minute" Iruka chuckled.

"There, now open your eyes" Naruto did as he was told. There, right in front of him, was Iruka-sensei smiling at him. But something was off, something was missing. It took Naruto a few seconds to figure out. He didn't have hitai-ate on. Naruto's hand slowly made its way to his forehead.

"Yay, I did it! I'm a ninja of Konoha! I'm going to be Hokage in no time! Believe it!" Naruto began ranting. But Iruka's thoughts were miles away though_ those crystals. 'Did Naruto make them? How did he do that? Does he have a kekkei genkai? If it is, it's not one I have ever seen or heard of before. I guess it is possible he could have one, since no one knows who his parents are. I better report to Sandaime soon. He would want to know this_.'

"Ano, Iruka-sensei" Iruka's focus snapped back at Naruto

"Sensei, is it true about the fox?"

Iruka smiled sadly "I'm afraid it is"

Naruto looked down on the ground. He mumbled something in audible.

"What?"

"Am I the fox then?" Naruto asked with tears in his eyes.

Iruka placed his hand on Naruto's head and ruffled his hair "Didn't you hear me back there? You are no more the fox, than a sealing scroll is the kunai sealed inside it"

"Did you mean the other thing to?" Naruto asked carefully

"What other-"He looked at the blond, before displaying a large smile "Yeah, I meant it. Little brother"

Naruto looked up at Iruka again with a smile wider than when he had gotten his hitai-ate. Before Iruka knew it, he was tackled by the little blonde, hugging him tightly while sniffling.

**- In the Hokage's office -**

The Sandaime had seen it all through his "magic" little crystal ball. '_To think Mizuki would betray the village like that. I knew he had some grudges, but to think he would go this far…'_ He looked at the crystal ball, seeing his grandson-figure hugging the Academy instructor '_At least something good came out of this whole ordeal. He have finally found someone else than me that he knows acknowledges him_ then he frowned_ but what was those pink crystals? I have never seen anything like it. I'll ask Jiraiya about it next time he comes to report in. He may know something about Minato or Kushina that I don't.'_

He looked at the crystal ball again. The two Konoha shinobi were walking out of the forest hand in hand, the smaller figure jumping up and down, while the bigger looked down on him with a smile on his lips. Hiruzen leaned back into his chair, looking up at the ceiling '_Ah, I guess I better call back the search parties so they don't drag him off the street_.' And with that thought, Hiruzen made his way out of his office.

**- The next morning with Naruto -**

Naruto yawned loudly as he sat up in his bed. He didn't really know what to do the next few days but train. It was not like he had any friends to hang out with. Sure Chouji and Shikamaru didn't hate his guts, but that was about it.

There was still six days left till the new teams got assigned. He didn't really care _that_ much about who he got teamed up with. '_Just not from the Sasuke-teme. Everyone but Sasuke-teme_.' And he wouldn't mind if he got teamed up with Sakura-chan. '_though I could imagine she would have a problem with that…' _He frowned at that thought. "Well, better get up and get going" he said to himself jumping off the bed, and heading for the bathroom.

He had just opened the "newly" made instant-ramen when an ANBU appeared in front of him. Naruto froze the instant he saw the ANBU. '_What have I done this time? I haven't done any pranks since I painted over the Hokage monument. Right after that, it was the test, and then the whole thing with Mizuki-teme.'_

"Calm down Uzumaki-san. You haven't done anything – this time" he waited a second, while giving Naruto a look. It felt like that anyway. "Hokage-sama has summoned you. You should be there within the next hour" The ANBU said, and shunshined away before Naruto could respond.

_Well, it's not like I have anything else I have to do today. I wonder what jiji wants_ he wondered while slurping the noodles in him. Three bowls and another toilet visit, and he was on his way to the Hokage Tower

Naruto walked down the hallway where you could enter the Hokage's office from. As he walked past the receptionist, he got a dark glare. He ignored it, like all the other glares. He knocked on the door and heard a quick "enter" before turning the door knot.

"Ah, Naruto, thank you for coming so quickly. We have a few things to talk about". Naruto looked around the room while his grandfather-figure talked. There was three shinobi standing in front of him. The two first he recognized right away: Sandaime-jiji and Iruka-sensei. The last one, not so much; on first eyesight Naruto could see he was old. Not as old as jiji, but at least up in his fifties. He had long white hair and some red war-paint running down his face from his eyes to his chin. He had a hitai-ate with the kanji for oil on it.

"Tora, Uma, please leave the office. I think we can defend ourselves against a twelve year old Genin" the Hokage said. Two ANBU appeared from the shadows before shunshining away.

"Now, Naruto, why don't you take a seat and explain us what happened yesterday" Hiruzen said, gesturing towards a chair.

Naruto went over to the chair and sat down. He turned towards Iruka for reassurance that he wasn't in any trouble. The scarred Chunin just smiled and nodded back at him. That was all Naruto needed, as he began rambling about what had happened, all from the way he had painted to Hokage monument, to how Mizuki had come to him after the exam, to the battle in the forest.

"And then I ran towards Iruka-sensei, trying to reach him before the fuma shuriken hit him, but I couldn't make it. I wasn't fast enough. And then…." Naruto trailed off, while looking up on Iruka with a confused and pleading look.

"And then the earth began to quake, and crystals grew out of the earth, deflecting the shuriken away" Iruka finished. Naruto looked around for the reactions. Sandaime-jiji and the white-haired guy didn't show any. They had calm collected faces.

"I see…. Please continue Naruto" the Sandaime said calmly.

Naruto continued his story, to the point where he had used a kinjutsu, and to where he got his hitai-ate, and the ramen Iruka-sensei had bought for him afterwards.

When Naruto was finished the room was quiet for a minute or two. Naruto was looking carefully at the three shinobi in the room.

"Jiraiya, do you have any idea what those crystals may have been?" the Sandaime asked. Jiraiya looked at Naruto; taking in everything he saw '_Kami, he looked so much like Minato. But from what I've heard, he has inherited Kushina's fiery personality_.'

"I may know…. I heard a rumor a while back. I had just set out on my journey. The nations were still recovering from the third great war, and everyone wore their nerves on the outside of their clothes. I heard that a whole village up in Ta no Kuni had been destroyed by a single jutsu. Now that alone isn't something to raise eyebrows over, it was the jutsu in question that was used that was."

"Where are you going with this Jiraiya-sama" Iruka asked in a mild annoyed tone. He had already concluded that it was Naruto who had made those crystals. But he didn't know why or how, or if it was dangerous in any way.

"Everything for its own time" Jiraiya said, looking calmly at Iruka, who were glaring lightly back at him. "Apparently it was destroyed by crystals. Now these crystals just grew out of nowhere, they incased people and plants alike. No one knew how". Jiraiya continued. He looked around on the small group "It later got the name Shoton" Iruka's eyes bulged out of their sockets. While he had expected something like that, it was still a bit of a shock. Even the scarecrow guy seemed surprised. Naruto just looked confused at Jiraiya.

"I thought the same thing. There's only one way to find out" The Sandaime said, while going through his drawers. He pulled out a little piece of paper, and handed it to Naruto. "Please run your chakra through this".

Naruto looked questioning at the Hokage for a moment before complying. When he did, the paper split into two, where after each piece turned dark brown, before crumbling. Now Naruto looked even more confused.

"Eh, what just happened jiji?" Naruto looked at the Hokage.

"Well, Naruto, it looks like you have a kekkei genkai" the old Hokage replied calmly.

"A what?" Naruto asked, looking more confused than ever.

After twenty minutes of the older shinobi trying to explain the basics of elemental manipulation and kekkei genkai, the blonde finally got it… somewhat.

"But how? I mean…. Wait, you said this, this kekkei genkai is genetic, right?"

The old Hokage looked at Naruto, knowing where this was going "Yes, it is".

"Do you think, maybe…" rest was mumbling, as he turned his head down.

"Sorry Naruto, you will have to speak up. I'm not as young as I have been" the old Hokage said to Naruto with a kind smile.

"Do you think this will help me finding out who my parents were? We just have to find someone who had the same abilities as me, and they must have been my family, right?" Naruto asked hopefully.

The old man looked sad at Naruto. "I don't think that's possible. It is true that Shoton is a kekkei genkai, but it isn't bound to a family as, let's say, the Byakugan is." _'I wish I could tell you who you parents were. You just have to be a bit stronger before I can tell you. Minato had some powerful enemies. Just hold on a bit longer. You will know soon enough.'_

Naruto's mood dropped a second, but he came right up again smiling "I guess I'll just have to find another way then"

The older shinobi smiled at that. There were very few in this world similar to Naruto.

The Sandaime then caught the glance he was getting from Iruka. He sighed deeply. He didn't know how Naruto would react.

"Naruto…" He said gently. He got the attention of the blue-eyed blonde "About the Kyuubi. Are you ok?"

Naruto's smiled faltered slightly, but he was still smiling "Yeah. I guess I'm… I'm kind of relieved"

The Sandaime Hokage eyed him. "Relieved?"

"Yeah. I finally understand _why_. Why all the villagers hate me so much. Why I'm getting all those looks. Guess I'll just have to work harder on getting them to acknowledge me, _despite_ that damned fox".

Iruka was smiling at his student. He was proud at how well he was handling it. He wasn't sure he could've done it well as him. "That's good to hear Naruto. Don't let it get you down. If you have any problems, no matter whom or what it is, you just come to me. My door is always open".

That got Naruto to grin while putting his hand behind his head. "Thanks Iruka-sensei".

"Well, it's good that that's settled. Now Naruto, we don't know how this Shoton works, so please don't use any chakra before we have taken a look at how it's used." The old Hokage said with a serious undertone. Naruto nodded. The Sandaime then turned to Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya, meet with me and Naruto tomorrow at training ground 43 at noon"

"Hai."

"Good" The Sandaime turned to Naruto. "Naruto –"

"I know, I know. Tomorrow at training ground 43 at noon. Don't use chakra until then. Can I go now?" Naruto asked eagerly. Now having spent almost two hours in the room, he was getting restless.

The Sandaime chuckled. "Yes, you can go. You're dismissed." And then the blonde shinobi dashed out of the office.

The Hokage then turned towards Iruka "You're dismissed to, Iruka."

Iruka nodded and made his way to the door. Halfway there he turned to face the Hokage "Do you think he will be ok?"

The Sandaime looked up at Iruka with a smile "You really do care about him, don't you?" Iruka nodded with a smile. "I think he will be fine. He has gotten some answers today. That should help him some."

"Hai" Iruka said before continuing walking towards the office door. Just as he was about to close the door, the old Hokage called him out.

"Iruka, take care of him"

Iruka just smiled at the Hokage. "Hai"

**- The following day at training ground 43 -**

Naruto and the Sandaime were talking as there were still a few minutes until they should meet with Jiraiya. Hiruzen turned towards Naruto and took a good look at him. He still wore that bright orange jumpsuit "Naruto, don't you think it's time you soon bought some new clothes?"

Naruto looked outrageous at the Hokage at that question "Why! What is wrong with my clothes?" he asked while looking down, tucking on his clothes a bit.

"Well, you're ninja now. And ninja's can't really go around with bright colors so the enemy will spot them faster, can they?"

"I guess you have some point" Naruto grumbled. "But what am I supposed to do? I can't really go into a regular clothing store, since they won't sell me anything. And the few places that will triple or quadruple the prices as soon as I enter".

Hiruzen frowned at that. Naruto had a good point. He would have to talk to the boys' new Jounin instructor about that. Maybe he could help him.

A puff of smoke appeared in front of them.

"Glad to see you could make it Jiraiya" Hiruzen said to Jiraiya

"I hope I'm not late?"

"No, you just made it. Well, let's get to it" the two elder shinobi turned towards Naruto.

"Now, the reason we're here is because we need to make sure your Shoton isn't dangerous" the Hokage said.

"Why would it be dangerous?" the orange clothed Genin asked.

It was Jiraiya who answered "well, normally with jutsu, the greater the power, the greater are the risks. We want to make sure you don't hurt yourself."

Naruto didn't seem convinced, but complied. Jiraiya nodded at Hiruzen.

"Good then. Naruto, can u tell me how you did it in the forest?"

"I don't really know. I just tried everything to save Iruka-sensei. I was desperate and was willing to do anything to save him. I had my arm put out like this" Naruto said while showing what he had done. The earth began to quake, and pink crystals appeared out of the ground, the same way it had done the evening before. Both Jiraiya and Hiruzen were wide-eyed. While Hiruzen had seen it through his crystal ball, it was another thing to see it happen with your own eyes.

"How did you do it?" Jiraiya asked.

"I… I don't know. I just put channeled some chakra, while thinking of the crystals from yesterday" Naruto answered.

Jiraiya thought about that for a bit. He then got an expression like he had an idea "try to think of it shattering"

Naruto did what he said, and to his amazement, the crystal shattered in tiny pieces, making the air glitter lightly in pink.

"Amazing" was all Jiraiya could say.

Hiruzen looked at Jiraiya "What are you thinking?"

"I think it's controlled by his thoughts. He has to channel the chakra to make it, but he just have to think of what he wants, and it's going to do it. It will probably not work on higher level jutsu, but I on the lower… I would say D- and C-rank jutsu; he just has to think of it"

Hiruzen nodded while looking at Naruto. "Ok Naruto, try to make"…

**- Next morning in Naruto's apartment -**

Naruto yawned loudly while stretching. He took a few minutes sitting in bed and waking up, before making his way to the bathroom.

While he was taking a bath he was thinking about what happened yesterday. They had discovered a lot about his Shoton. It _is_ a combination of fuuton and doton, as the chakra paper had said. Jiraiya had theorized that he used doton to find minerals and stuff like that, while he used fuuton to compress it under high pressure, successfully making crystals.

He could crystallize anything they put him to. Earth, wood, water, grass, really anything that had mass, and wasn't energy. He could even crystallize living things, as they had discovered when he accidently crystallized a bug. It was really like having a weapon on hand all the time.

Jiraiya had also told him about the secrets of Kage Bunshin halfway through the day, so he had made about a hundred clones, putting them to learning his Shoton, thus why he already had such control over it. Jiraiya said he was the only one who could train this way, due to him having such a large chakra reserves.

When they were about to leave, Hiruzen had pulled him aside and asked him to go to the library today. Naruto wasn't really a reader, and had complained loudly about it, but as Hiruzen said "If you want to be a ninja and the Hokage nonetheless, you need to have knowledge about the world. If not, people will just use you." That had made Naruto promise that he would do it. He also planned to go find a store who would sell him a new outfit, though he didn't know if he would be successful.

Naruto ate his breakfast and brushed his teeth, before making his way out the door.

"Scram demon! And don't come back!" Naruto sighed as he was kicked out of another store. Walking off Naruto tried to think of a way to get into a store. He could use Henge, but it would dispel as soon as someone touched him. And he couldn't just use the "I'm a ninja under the direct command of the Hokage" deal. It would only work on buildings owned by the government, like the library, not private-owned stores. He sighed deeply again.

Looking around the blond found a store that looked fairly non-descript. The only sign that told him it was for shinobi was the rather large kunai symbol above the door and the sign that read 'Higarashi Weapon Shop'. Deciding to give this place a try Naruto walked in.

Looking around, the first thing Naruto noticed was that whoever owned this place had an obvious love for weapons. There were racks upon racks of weapons lining the entire shop. Swords, Staffs, Scythes it seemed that anything anyone could name was there. He had never seen so many different weapons in one place ever, and some of these weapons he had never seen at all. It was enough to make even someone like Naruto, who knew next to nothing about weapons, drool.

"Can I help you?"

Naruto stiffened and almost shouted as he spun around. Behind him was a young girl that was maybe a year older than him, wearing a Chinese style pink tank top, dark green cargo pants and had her hair done up in two buns. To Naruto they made her kind of look like a panda. _'Or a mouse'._ Naruto did his best not to snicker at the thought.

"Hello?" Tenten asked, while waving her hand in front of Naruto's face. He blinked a couple of times.

"Um… what?" Naruto said, blushing in embarrassment as he took a step back and put a hand behind his head.

The girl just looked at him before she rolled her eyes at the kid's inattentiveness and shrugged. "I was asking if you needed help finding anything."

"Erm…" Naruto blinked in surprise. "You work here?"

"That's right!" the girl said. "My name is Higarashi Tenten. My father owns this store so I come in and help when I'm not on missions."

"You're a shinobi then?" Naruto asked curiously.

"Yep, I've been a shinobi for about a year now," Tenten replied.

"That's awesome!" Naruto stated with a large grin. "I just graduated…" he blinked as he remembered why he was here."You know you can help me, I was looking into getting some new clothes!"

"I can see why," Tenten said with an amused smirk. "Your clothes are hideous."

"Hey!" Naruto said, feeling the need to defend his clothes. "These clothes are warm and comfortable and-"

"Ugly," Tenten finished with a grin, "seriously who wears orange?"

"I like orange!" Naruto shouted indignantly. Seriously, what was it with people continuing to diss on the color orange? It was the best color in the world! "It's my favorite color!"

"Even so, it's not a very good color for a ninja." Tenten replied, finding the boys defensiveness amusing. "Especially when it's so bright."

He took a deep breath to calm down a bit. "I guess I can see the logic in that. Anyways, can you help me?"

"Sure," Tenten replied, amused by Naruto's reaction. She took him over to the clothing section of the store. "So what are you looking for exactly?" she asked.

Naruto thought about what he wanted to look like. He needed something that made him look cool and added a mysterious persona to him. Something that screamed powerful and awesome! Something...

"You know… I'm not sure," he said sheepishly. "I've never really shopped for clothes before so…" He had actually tried clothes shopping once when he was six and had just gotten an apartment, however the store owners had kicked him out before he could actually shop. That had actually been the same day he found his jumpsuits in the trash, after the same store he tried to shop from had thrown them away.

"You're kidding right?" Tenten looked at him incredulously. When he shook his head she sighed. "Then it looks like we're just going to have to see what works." She pulled him over to the clothing section of the store, where she began grabbing different styles of clothes and then making him change into many styles she gave him, essentially turning him into a life sized dress up doll.

Eventually she found a style that fit. Now Naruto was wearing dark black shinobi pants that tucked into a pair of black shinobi sandals. He had a black sleeveless Chinese style shirt like hers but with a dark orange trims and with the Uzumaki swirl on the back of it, she had tried to talk him out of wearing any orange but was unsuccessful in getting the blond to completely rid himself of his favorite color. At least there was less orange then before and it was in a darker tone then his jumpsuit had been. His hands were covered in fingerless gloves and his arms were also covered in black bandages up to his biceps. Lastly she changed the strap of his hitai-ate, from the dark blue color to black.

"There, you look much better now," Tenten said, smiling at him. Indeed he did look much better, now that she was seeing him without all the orange he actually looked cute. "Now you're like a real shinobi."

"You think so?" Naruto blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Of course! So will that be all?" Tenten asked.

"Yes I think so. For now anyway" he responded with a smile.

"Tenten, are you out front?"

Both Naruto and Tenten yelled as they spun around.

Naruto found himself staring at a bull of man. Large and built like brick shit house. The man had muscles on every part of his body that Naruto could see; he even had muscles on his muscles! He had brown hair and brown eyes much like Tenten. He was wearing an off white shirt, brown pants and a pair of brown boots.

"Damn it tou-san!" Tenten shouted as she clutched a hand to her chest. "How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me? And especially when I'm with a customer!"

Tenten's dad merely laughed, "Ah take it easy Tenten. Beside aren't you shinobi supposed to be more aware of your surroundings?"

"Do you want to be used as target practice again?" Tenten asked with a maniacal gleam in her eyes and had one of her hands inside her kunai pouch.

Her dad merely sweats dropped before he coughed and turned his attention to Naruto. He looked him up and down, immediately recognizing him. That didn't matter to him; he wasn't as narrow sighted as some of the other villagers. He worked with sealing scrolls on a daily basis; he knew that the boy in front of him wasn't the demon. And if he had been, he would probably already have destroyed the village, with the way some treated him.

Naruto watched with a mixture of shock and weariness as the man looked him over. He was already expecting to get thrown out. No one wanted to sell the "demon brat" anything. But Tenten's dad just smiled at him, walking over to the cash-register, typing in all that his daughter had noted on a block.

"Now all that stuff you got there will come to around 5,000 yen," Tenten's dad said.

Naruto cringed a bit but got out the necessary money, it would put him back by a lot, especially since he would no longer be able to gain a stipend from the Hokage since he was a ninja. But this was for his shinobi-career, so he had to. He took out his frog-shaped green wallet, much to the amusement of Tenten, and put the money on the table.

"Thank you kid. Hope you'll come back" Tenten's dad said to Naruto while counting the money Naruto had left.

He gave the two there one of his most brilliant smiles. "Thanks mister…"

"Kaito," the man replied.

"Thanks Kaito-san," Naruto bowed before grabbing his equipment and running off with a grin. "I'll make sure your store becomes famous when it's selling to me as the Hokage!" he yelled out as he left for the library.

Naruto was standing outside a big building, a building he had never thought he would set foot in – the library. He sighed deeply and made his way through the front doors. He hadn't made his way in more than a few meters, when a voice called out behind him.

"Can I help y-. What do _you_ want? I'm sorry, but you will have to leave - _Now_." Naruto turned around to see who it was. It turned out to be the custodian, a woman who looked to be in her mid-fifties said, spitting out the word boy with venom.

Naruto remembered what Hiruzen had said to him the day before. Naruto tapped his finger on his hitai-ate "I am a ninja of Konoha, under the command of the direct command of the Hokage. And can I remind you that this is a government owned building? And who again runs the government? That's right, the Hokage does. Thus, you can't kick me out of here" the custodian was clearly irritated by this, but as Naruto had pointed out, she couldn't kick him out.

She sighed "Fine, but if you break _anything_, you will be sorry" she said, and walked away.

Naruto snorted mentally at this. Since he was told about the Kyuubi, he had been near stunned by the naivety of the population of Konoha. One thing was the civilians who knew nothing of sealing, but the ninja-population too? They used sealing on a daily basis.

He shook it off him, and made his way to the shinobi section of the library. When he was there, he put his hands in a ram seal, making ten clones.

"Alright guys, I need your help finding some books. Anything on chakra, seals, Taijutsu and basic shinobi skills will be fine. Also, try to find something on bijuu, Jinchuuriki and anything related". With that said, he and his clones looked through the bookshelves looking for said books. In the end he found twenty-seven on the various subjects. He made his way home, and began to read.

**- Three days later -**

Naruto was on his way to training ground 43. Jiji had given it to train the week before the team assignments, which was still two days away. Jiji had said it was because he needed to get his Shoton under control before getting on a team, so he wouldn't put them or himself in danger with it.

He made his way to the training field, and did what he had done the last few days. He put his hand to form the ram seal, and made about one hundred clones, and split them up to do various tasks.

Fifty clones were working on his Shoton, which were coming along nicely. He had learned to crystallize stuff fast, and could even make crystals from the humidity in the air. He had also made quite a few new jutsu, most of the based on jutsu of other elements. It wasn't as hard as he had thought it to be. He would just have to think about something crystallizing, and it would.

The next twenty-five were working on his chakra control. He had perfected the floating lead exercise that they had learned in the academy, and were now slowly making progress on the tree-climbing exercise. He could run up the tree by now, and could walk about two quarters of the way. He had decided that he wouldn't move on before he could fight on a vertical surface for about ten minutes.

And the last quarter were reading. Reading anything he could get his hands on. Most of the jutsu and exercises were from the books. He had learned a lot about bijuu, one of the subjects he was most interested in, for obvious reasons.

He continued training the next few days, until the team assignments.

**- The day of the team assignments -**

The alarm clock ringed high. Naruto almost fell out of his bed, trying to punch the stupid thing into oblivion. When he finally managed to turn of the stupid thing, he sat up, scratching his eyes and looked around with sleepy eyes. He saw the calendar, and within a second he was wide awake. _'Today I get my team assignment!'_

He jumped out of the bed, and made his way to the bathroom to wash up and brush teeth. He thought about what he had done the last week. He had advanced rather quickly due to the Kage Bunshin; he had done almost two years of training in the last week. He now had decent control over Shoton, but it could still be improved. His chakra control were a ton better; he could know fight on the tree surface for about four minutes, before he fell off. And he had read. He was surprised how much it had mattered. He could actually understand what people were saying most of the time now. Nothing like when the week started. Overall, he had improved a lot, though he still needed to be careful. The third day he had dispelled all his clones at once, and had fainted from fatigue alone. He had woken up an hour later with a throbbing headache. He wasn't do that again, and had the following days dispelled his clones in groups of ten, with a few minutes interval.

He had also met Konohamaru, the "honorable grandson of the Sandaime Hokage", and his teacher Ebisu, who hated his guts. He had met Konohamaru when he had turned in his Ninja Registration Form. Konohamaru had come to challenge the Sandaime for the title of Hokage, but had tripped over his own scarf, halfway across the room. It had been fun to see the reaction of his teacher, when he slammed him across the head _after_ he learned who he was.

Konohamaru had followed him later, asking him to teach him. Naruto had complied, and taught him _Henge no Jutsu _and _Oiroke no Jutsu_. Later Ebisu had come, saying he didn't want Naruto to teach. Konohamaru couldn't figure out why, but Naruto knew right away, when he saw the eyes of Ebisu. It was the same as most of the villagers – full of hate towards him, for something he had no control over what so ever. He had beaten him with his new _Haremu no Jutsu_, sending him flying halfway across Konoha because of his nosebleed. He had after told Konohamaru that there was no shortcut to becoming the Hokage, and that he had to beat him to get there. Konohamaru told him that they weren't student and teacher anymore; they were rivals. He had left after that.

After he was done in the bathroom, he made his breakfast, which was made up of bread and various vegetable. Naruto had read that he needed to eat better if he wanted to grow. Naruto was still the shortest from his class, which annoyed him to no end. He was sitting and eating, looking across the room. He saw the new picture he had put up the day before. It was his picture for the ninja registration. He had asked Hiruzen if he could get a copy of it to hang up, and was allowed. He was in the picture, of course, and stood with an angel to the camera, with his hand, back down towards the ground, pointing slightly towards it. From his hand, to the corner of the picture, and across the top, the air was glimmering slightly pink, clear evidence of his Shoton. It had taken some persuasion on his part, but the Hokage had finally said yes. He was quite proud of it; clear evidence of his shinobi status.

After he was done with his breakfast, he bolted out the door, and made his way to the Academy. _'Today I'm going to get a team. I am officially going to be a Genin, a ninja of Konoha. It's the first step on the way to become the Hokage.'_

/-/-/-/-/

**Kage Bunshin no Jutsu – Shadow Clone Technique:** Similar to the _Bunshin no Jutsu_, this technique creates clones of the user. However, these clones are actual copies, not illusions. The user's chakra is evenly distributed among every clone, giving each clone an equal fraction of the user's overall power. The clones are capable of performing techniques on their own and can even bleed, but will usually disperse after one or two solid blows. They can also disperse on their own. The clones will be created in roughly the same condition as the original. When they disperse, all the knowledge they have gained return to the creator.

**Bunshin no Jutsu – Clone Technique:** A Ninjutsu that creates an intangible copy of one's own body, without any substance. Since the clone itself doesn't have the ability to attack, and thus can only be used to confuse the enemy, it is mainly used in combination with other Ninjutsu. It's a basic technique, but depending on one's ingenuity, it can be used effectively. The clones will dissipate when they come into contact with something.

**Kekkei Genkai – Bloodline Limit (Literally meaning "a technique limited to inheritance by blood"):** are abilities passed down genetically in specific clans. It's possible for a ninja to have more than one of these abilities. Kekkei genkai abilities that work via the user's eye are called dojutsu. Other kekkei genkai include mixing one type of elemental chakra with another, creating a new one unique to the users, which is usually impossible for normal ninja.

**Dojutsu – Eye Techniques:** are kekkei genkai that utilize the eyes, granting the wielder ocular abilities? Being a by-product of specific kekkei genkai, dojutsu are not classified as one of the major jutsu types. They do not require the use of hand seals and in some cases facilitate in the use of or defense against Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu and then defeat their opponent. All known dojutsu also provide the user with some unique abilities, such as an extended field of vision or predictive capabilities. The use of dojutsu often-time consumes a great deal of chakra.

**Shoton – Crystal Release:** is a rare and specialized field of elemental Ninjutsu that can create crystal as well as manipulate already-existing crystals and crystalline structures.

**Doton – Earth Release:** is one of the basic elemental nature transformation techniques and allow the user to manipulate the surrounding earth for offensive and defensive purposes or create it; be it dirt, mud, or rock.

**Fuuton – Wind Release:** is one of the five basic elemental nature transformations. It is performed by making chakra as sharp and thin as possible. Wind Release is mainly short to mid-ranged offensive techniques that combine brute force and keen precision to deal cutting and slashing damage. A rarity among the five chakra natures, wind techniques are usually performed by generating air circulation and can be enhanced through this method as well. Wind-natured chakra can also be channeled into blades to increase their cutting power and overall range.

**Katon – Fire Release:** is one of the basic elemental nature transformations. It is performed by molding superheated chakra inside the stomach before releasing it via the lungs and mouth. There are also variants to this in the form of some mediums such as the use of gun powder, explosive tags and chakra flow into a weapon.

**Suiton – Water Release:** is one of the basic elemental nature transformation techniques that allow the user to manipulate pre-existing water, or create their own, by turning their chakra into water. It takes much more ability to create the water than to manipulate what is already available and expel it from their mouths. One of the most versatile of the five basic chakra natures, Water Release techniques can not only change shape but state as well. Moreover, the water becomes more solid in the process as well

**Raiton – Lightning Release:** is one of the basic elemental nature transformation techniques that allow the user to generate lightning by increasing the high frequency vibrations of their chakra, allowing for piercing damage and fast movement. The electricity paralyses the target so that they are unable to move and leave them vulnerable to a finishing strike. While uncommon, lightning can be infused into bladed weapons in a way similar to fuuton through chakra flow for increased the piercing power through vibrations, with the added effect of inducing numbness. When the technique is released from their bodies, and thus not requiring physical contact, it does not move as fast as true lightning. Instead, due to the control the user has to exert over it, it moves far slower, which give opponents can time to still react. Based on the exhaustion seen when using Lightning Release techniques, it can be presumed that they require more chakra than the other nature transformations

**Kyuubi no Yoko – The nine tailed fox.**

**Bijuu – Tailed Beast:** The tailed beasts are large, living forms of chakra, sometimes referred to as "Chakra Monsters", giving them power that far outmatches most shinobi. However, this immense strength is tempered by their bestial nature, which restricts them from being intelligent enough to use it effectively. As such, when the tailed beasts are sealed within humans, they are able to benefit from the knowledge of their hosts, giving them the ability to better utilize their powers.

**Jinchuuriki – "Power of Human Sacrifice":** are humans that have bijuu sealed within them. They exhibit extraordinary powers, and in some cases are more powerful than their tailed beasts, because they have the intelligence to use the beasts' powers effectively.

**Henge no Jutsu – Transformation Technique:** Given all the missions ninja are assigned to - battle, intelligence gathering, and diversions - this is a priceless Ninjutsu. It is typically used to change into people other than one, but one also has the ability to change into animals, plants, and even inanimate objects like weapons. This gives this technique an abundance of uses. The transformation of a skilled shinobi will be exactly like the genuine article, so it will be impossible to tell the two apart. On the other hand, a transformation performed by an inexperienced person will have obvious discrepancies. It will be impossible to deceive anyone with it. This is one of the most basic Ninjutsu, as such most shinobi know how to perform it. The transformation technique is considered to be among the more difficult E-ranked techniques, since it requires constant emission of chakra while mentally maintaining the form. On top of that, the user would be, most likely, interacting with the environment. This puts mental strain on an inexperienced ninja. Thus the best way to determine if it is indeed a transformation is to cause this strain upon the user; though this is of course not always successful.

**Oiroke no Jutsu – Sexy Technique:** The Sexy Technique is simply a _Henge no Jutsu_ used to transform the user into a beautiful, nude woman in a very seductive pose with mists of smoke covering her privates, or in a bathing suit.

**Haremu no Jutsu – Harem Technique:** This technique is considered to be an advanced variation of the _Oiroke no Jutsu_, which is combined with the _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_. After creating a dozen or so clones, Naruto uses this technique to transform them all into the same beautiful. Naruto uses this technique when he either wants a better chance of his target falling victim, or when the Sexy Technique fails to fulfill its purpose


	2. Survival Training! Pass or Fail!

"Normal speech"

"**Demon/Corrupted speech"**

'_Normal thoughts'_

'_**Demon/Corrupted thoughts'**_

**Disclaimer:** I'm only gonna say this once: I don't own Naruto. All rights and claims belong to the epic dude in Japan – Masashi Kishimoto-sama.

**Arch**-**Daishou**: The first 14 Chapters I am leaving as is. Save a few spelling corrects. But after 14, I will continue this fantastic story.

**Chapter 2****:** Survival Training! Pass or Fail!

Naruto made his way towards the Academy, ignoring the usual stares and glares. It didn't really bother him anymore, he had gotten used to it over the years. The only difference the last week was that he knew _why _he was getting them. That helped a lot; it was a burden lifted from his shoulders. He didn't have to wonder why.

He walked down one of the alleys, when he saw a person trying to blend in with the railing behind him, using a sheet as cover. The only problem was that it was hanging ninety degrees wrong. He knew right away who it was.

Before he could call him out, Konohamaru jumped out from his "cover" yelling at him "Fight me!" sadly, he hadn't even taken one step, before he tripped over the sheet.

Naruto sweat dropped "What are you doing Konohamaru?"

"I expect nothing less from the man I respect" Konohamaru said, getting up.

Naruto was silent for a few seconds "I didn't do anything. You tripped – again."

Konohamaru totally ignored this and got up, making a hand sign "fight fair and square!"

Naruto shook his head "Sorry Konohamaru. I have to go to my team assignment meeting now."

"Team assignment?" the boy asked confused

"Yeah, I'm a ninja of Konoha starting today!" he said smiling, pointing at his hitai-ate.

Konohamaru stared in awe. He smiled at his big-brother figure "Ok, nii-san. I guess we'll have to do it another day then". And with that, the two boys went on their way.

Naruto made it to the Academy a little earlier than normal. Heck, normally he would have met at _least _an hour late, since none of the teachers really bothered with him. But that wasn't on his mind today. Today was the first day in the rest of his life, the first step towards becoming the Hokage. Nothing could bring him down. If he was honest with himself, he didn't care much about which team he was assigned. _'Just not Sasuke-teme; he is waaay to broody for me. And I wouldn't mind getting on the same team as Sakura-Chan… though I could image her having a problem with me. I guess I'll do what Tenten told me to.'_

_**- Flashback 3 days ago –**_

_Naruto was walking down one of Konoha's many streets with Tenten. Since the day he had come her father's store, they had become friends. Well, Naruto's first real friend at his own age. Shikamaru and Chouji didn't hate his guts, but they weren't besties either._

"_So, have you gotten your team assignment yet?" Tenten asked._

_Naruto shook his head "nah, we're getting them in three days. If I'm honest I don't really care what team I get on. I'm just happy I graduated"_

"_Huh, so you don't care at all? There is no one you would or would rather not be with?" she asked doubtingly_

_Naruto looked at his new friend with a small smile "well, there is this one guy. Sasuke-teme… He just gets on my nerves all the time."_

"_Wait, Sasuke? As in Uchiha Sasuke? The sole survivor of the Uchiha Clan Massacre?"_

"_That's the guy" he said while nodding_

"_Ouch, I can understand that. I mean, I can't set myself into his place, to get his whole clan killed, but he is just so…"_

"_So brooding"_

"_Exactly" she smiled. She rather liked Naruto. Not in romantic manner, but he was a good friend. It was a good break from her two teammates and their eccentric sensei. Naruto was a funny guy, maybe a bit straight forward with things, but nothing she couldn't handle._

_She took a look around and saw the glares of the villagers. It wasn't her they were glaring at; it was her new friend. She had tried to ask him about it, but he had changed subject rather quickly. She knew that he had pranked most of the villagers when he was a kid. She had found them rather funny. And then a few days ago when painted the Hokage Monument. She was impressed. It wasn't anyone who could over paint a monument, which was visible from most of the village, in daylight, wearing a orange jumpsuit. When she had asked how he had done it, he had answered "It's easy when no one wants you to exist." That time it was her who changed subject._

_She was pulled out of her train of thoughts when Naruto started talking again "And then there is Sakura-chan."_

_She raised an eyebrow while smiling "So there's a girl? I guess she hung up on the Uchiha then?"_

"_Yeah! Can u believe it? And every time she asks him on a date, he turns her down, and still she won't go out with me" he answered a bit moping. _

"_So, how many times have you asked her on a date?"_

"_Erm… Every time I see her? It's usually just after she gets turned down by Sasuke."_

"_I have an advice if you want" Naruto nodded eagerly "Back off"_

"_What?" Naruto said disbelievingly_

"_I said back off. Try to stop asking her on a date every time you see her. Try just to be there for her. You know, maybe in time she will come around" she said while winking at her blonde friend._

"_Maybe… Ok, I'll try it" he said, showing her one of his big bright smiles_

"_Good" she nodded approvingly._

_**- Flashback End -**_

Naruto opened the door to his classroom, and made his way inside. He hadn't stepped three steps inside, before a boy stepped in front of him.

"Oi, Naruto! Today is the team assignments. You _do _know that you would actually have to _pass_ the exam if you want in on it, right?" it from the brown haired boy. He wore a pair of dark grayish pants the reached down to his calves, and a grey hooded fur-lined coat with a hood he wore on his head. Under the hood, on his head, were a little white puppy.

"Auf auf"

"See, even Akamaru agrees" Kiba stated with a smug smiled, petting his puppy.

Naruto smiled right back at Kiba, while tapping his finger on his forehead protector "Are you blind dog-breath? I have a hitai-ate, thus must I have passed. The Hokage himself passed me. Can u say the same for you?"

Kiba narrowed his eyes, and took a closer look at his hitai-ate – just to be sure it was real. When he was convinced, he just came with an "hmph" and turned around to go back to his seat.

The blonde Genin shook his head with a smile of Kiba's antics. When he was done, he took a look around the classroom for an empty seat. As far as he could see there were three; one beside Sasuke-teme, and another beside that seat, and one in front of Chouji. The last option wasn't really an option in his opinion. It was a known fact that all the Akamichi's were real greedy-guts and the new clan-heir wasn't an exception. That alone wasn't the problem; the real problem was that not all of his food made the trip from the back it was in, to his mouth. So anyone who say in front of Chouji would be showered in food scraps.

Naruto took a deep breath, and made his way over to the table where Sasuke sat, and took the seat furthest away from the Uchiha. Naruto reached for his pocket, and took up a book on fuinjutsu and started reading it, much to the whole classrooms disbelief. Even the Uchiha was brought out of his brooding mood, and raised an eyebrow at the blonde shinobi.

Hinata was looking from behind the classroom, where she had taken a seat. '_Naruto-kun was able to graduate! Maybe, just maybe, I can get on the same team as him'_ She thought hopefully.

Before long Naruto was brought out of his reading, when the whole classroom went quiet. They could all hear something rumbling, like some big animals, like rhino's or elephants, which were running. It was getting closer and closer. You would think that the class would become nervous at the apparent impending doom, but this was a daily routine for them. Before long, two girls almost fell in through the door.

"First/I win" they yelled, before turning to each other to glare.

The first one Naruto recognized right away: it was Sakura-chan. She had bright pink hair, a color Naruto didn't know could appear naturally before he had met her, and green eyes. She also had a rather large forehead, and Naruto knew she had been bullied because of it. To him, though, it was just her, and he loved every part of it. She was wearing a red dress with a white circular design on her shoulders and her back, and she wore dark green shorts. She wore her hitai-ate like a hair band.

The second girl was Ino, who had an ongoing rivalry with Sakura. She wore a short purple vest like blouse with a raised collar, a skirt that was cut off on the sides and bandage on her stomach and legs. She also wore purple and white elbow warmers with this, and her hitai-ate around her waist as a belt.

"I win again Sakura" Ino said

"What are you talking about? My pinkie-toe entered the classroom before yours by a whole centimeter!" Sakura replied, glaring harder.

Ino returned the glare "Are you blind?" The two girls kept bickering like that, and the rest of the class went back to doing what they were doing before. That is, everyone but Naruto. He was looking at Sakura with a blush. He quickly looked away again '_Naruto, remember what Tenten said. Give her some space. But there she is! Looking over here! And now she's coming this way. Maybe she wants to sit beside me'_ he thought, as the pink haired kunoichi made her way over to the table where Naruto and Sasuke were sitting.

He smiled at her "Good morning Sakura-Chan!"

"Get out of my way! I want to sit there beside Sasuke-kun" she replied, pointing at the seat in between him and Sasuke.

He sighed while getting out of his seat "Fine, get in then"

Sakura hadn't expected that. Normally Naruto would get going how un-cool Sasuke was, and she would have to hit him. "Erm, thank you Naruto" she said, taking her seat. She was just about to talk to Sasuke, when Iruka came in through the door.

"Ok class, settle down" most of them didn't hear him, causing a tick mark to appear on Iruka. He used his big-scary-head jutsu "I SAID SETTLE DOWN!" that got the desired effect. He cleared his throat "Starting today, you are all official ninjas, but you are all still just new Genin. It's going to get harder from here. You all will be in a group of three, where you will accomplish missions under a Jounin Instructor." That got the class' attention. Most of them hadn't expected a three-man team. Naruto wasn't surprised, the Hokage had given him permission to train the last week _because_ he was gonna be on a team. Iruka continued "We've arranged the groups such that overall abilities are equivalent. I will now announce them. Team 1 is…"

Naruto started reading his book again, just paying enough attention to react when his own name was called. "Team 7 will be: Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura" internally Naruto was jumping up and down in happiness. Sakura quite the opposite "And Uchiha Sasuke" that got the reversed effect. Naruto couldn't help but throw a quick glare at Sasuke '_Kami must really be against me. There are twenty-seven people that have graduated, and I get on the same team as Sasuke-teme?' _He sighed '_well at least I'm also on the same team as Sakura-Chan'_. "Next Team 8: Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba and Aburame Shino. There won't be a Team 9, as last year's Team 9 is still in effect. Team 10 will be Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru and Akamichi Chouji" he called up the last few teams. "That's it for the Teams. Now, your Jounin Sensei will be here after lunch, you can do what you want until then"

With that said, the different Teams went out the classroom.

**- In the council chambers -**

It was the day of the assignments of the new Genin teams, and thus there was a council meeting. Currently all were present but the Hokage.

The champers consisted of the Hokage's seat at the end of multiple tables. Beside the Hokage's seat were two smaller tables where the elders sat. Their names were Homura Mitokado, Koharu Utatane and Shimura Danzo. Homura and Koharu were old teammates of Hiruzen, and had retired from their shinobi carriers and settled back as elders and councilors for the Sandaime. Danzo was an old rival of Hiruzen. While he had Konoha's best at heart, he didn't always care of the way to get there.

From the Hokage's seat point of view, the left side was reserved for the business people of Konoha, the six that had been elected from their respective areas. These didn't have Konoha's best at heart. What they cared about was getting more power, and getting more wealth.

The right side was reserved for the eight major clans of Konoha: Senju, Uchiha, Hyuuga, Inuzuka, Aburame, Akamichi, Nara and Yamanaka. Though, because of the Uchiha massacre, the Uchiha seat was empty until the time of the last Uchiha to be sixteen years of age, and the Senju seat was empty because the last known survivor of said clan, Senju Tsunade, wasn't in Konoha, and hadn't been for years. These people were the only one beside the Hokage who were not thinking of ways to get more power, but had Konoha's best at heart.

In the seat closest to the Hokage's was none other than Hiashi Hyuuga, the head of the Hyuuga clan which was currently the largest clan in Konoha. Hiashi was a man who despite his cold demeanor, always put his clan and Konoha first, even when it went against his own beliefs

The next seat from Hiashi was Tsume, the clan head of the Inuzuka Clan. This clan was well known for their collaboration with ninja dogs, their pack mentality and their hotheadedness. They always believed in looking out for family, and were well known for their fierce loyalty to others.

Sitting next to the Inuzuka Matriarch was Shibi Aburame, the clan head of the Aburame clan. The Aburame's were well know as a clan that followed logic, believing that to do otherwise would cause more issues to arise then need be. They were also ostracized because of the bugs they carry.

The last in the lineup were the members of the Yamanaka, Nara and Akamichi clans, who were well known for their powerful team work. These three were Inoichi, Shikaku and Chouza and they had been known as the Ina-Shika-Cho trio, due to the teamwork they used during the Third Great Shinobi War.

Finally the Sandaime entered the chambers, and took his seat. "As it seems we're all here, we will get started. Now first point of order is-"

"Sorry Sandaime-sama, but I have disturbing news that I think the council should hear" Danzo interrupted the Hokage. Hiruzen didn't seem affected by this, as he had known this would come sooner or later. He was pretty sure it was because of Naruto and his Shoton. He knew he wouldn't be able to keep it a secret long after he allowed Naruto's ninja registration photo to be taken. That, and that he had allowed the blonde to use one of the training ground by himself. He was sure that Danzo would have picked up on that.

"What is it Danzo-san?" Hiruzen asked more politely than he would have out of the council chambers.

"It has come to my attention that you have reserved a whole training field for a newly graduated Genin. It intrigued me, but I let it go: I'm not one to question the Hokage" Hiruzen mentally scoffed at that. Danzo questioned _every_ action he took. He had tried to get his hand on the seat for a long time. Other than that, he had tried to get his hands on Naruto more than one time, willing to turn him into a weapon of Konoha, due to his jinchuuriki status. He was sure that he would try even harder now that he had found out about the blondes new kekkei genkai. Hiruzen was, of course, greatly opposing of this. Minato had asked him to make sure Naruto would be safe. He couldn't do much about the villagers, but this he could. He wouldn't let Naruto fall into the grasps of the old war hawk.

Danzo looked over the chamber. He could see that he had peeked their interest. "But then a few days ago, when the elders and I went over the new ninja registration forms, we came across this" he said, taking out Naruto's photo, sending it around the council. He could see many confused looks. "We, like you, had no idea what this was. So I send some of my guards to look for the jinchuuriki. They found him at earlier mentioned training ground. He was training to use… Shoton. Yes, the kyuubi jinchuuriki has Shoton."

**- An hour later –**

"Enough of this! Yes, Naruto has Shoton, but it isn't dangerous! Jiraiya and I have observed and made sure of that. The reason I allowed Naruto to use that training ground was so he could get it under control, and so he wouldn't put his team at risk" Hiruzen said loudly and irritated. The last hour had been nothing but accusations, and pleads about putting the boy down, letting Danzo have him. "If _any_ other shinobi _or_ citizen of Konoha had awakened Shoton, you would all be delighted. But because it's Naruto, you're acting like this? I won't have it" he continued, while glaring around the council. The shinobi side had been concerned, but had calmed a bit down. It was the civilians and the elders that caused problem. They hated the boy's guts, because of the kyuubi. "Now I have given you all the answers I'm willing, so we're gonna get on with this council meeting. Now, for the first point of order…"

**- Lunch at the Academy -**

Sakura was sitting on a bench outside the Academy. They still had some time before their Jounin Sensei would pick them up. She had just had a not so friendly conversation with Sasuke. He had told her that he thought she was annoying. '_"You're annoying" huh? I see… Naruto must've felt the same way. Maybe I can be nicer starting now. I could give him a chance. I never really have gotten to know him; I always brush him off as a pest…'_

She was brought out of her thoughts when she saw Naruto coming her way eating a dango. It didn't seem like he had seen her yet. '_Alright, this is my chance to be nicer to him. Remember to smile, not scowl, smile'. _With that, she had a really strained smile on her face "Hey Naruto, let's go back to the classroom."

Naruto looked up at her "Sakura-Chan? I thought you would be with Sasuke" he said the last part a bit sad. Sakura didn't miss that.

"Yeah, but he had to go do something else. Come on, let's go back to class" she said. This brought a big smile to Naruto's face '_you're a genius Tenten!'_

**- Three hours later in the classroom –**

"Why is our sensei the only one who's late!? All the other teams have been picked up hours ago!" Sakura said annoyed. Team 7 was still sitting in the classroom. Or Sasuke and Naruto were sitting and their desk, and Sakura was going back and forth, getting inpatient with their new sensei.

Naruto sighed and looked up from his book "Sakura-Chan, it can't be helped. He'll get here when he get here." While he agreed with her, he was getting rather annoyed with Sakura. She had been like that for the last hour, coming with outbursts every ten minutes or so.

Sakura turned to look at Naruto in disbelief, before gathering herself. '_Ok, if Naruto asks me to calm down, I really must be tiring. I mean, he is the most hyper person I know! But that means… that means Sasuke-kun also thinks that I'm getting annoying – again'._ She took a deep breath to calm herself down, before taking the seat beside Sasuke. Naruto eyed her, before going back to reading his book.

Fifteen minutes later a silver haired Jounin entered the room. Sakura couldn't help herself, and jumped up screaming "You're late!"

He just starred at them passively "How should I say this… My first impression of you guys is… I hate you"

Sakura got a moping expression, while Naruto and Sasuke got a better look at their sensei. He was wearing the standard Konoha Shinobi outfit, along with iron plated gloves. His face was mostly covered by his mask, and his left eye was covered by his hitai-ate. All in all, they couldn't get a real good look at him.

"Meet me on the roof in five minutes" he said before shunshining away.

- Five minutes later on the roof –

Kakashi was looking over his student. He was mostly looking on Naruto _Kami, 'he looks so much like you sensei'_ then he turned his gaze to the Uchiha _'I really hope I can help him, before chooses a path that he can't be saved from'._ When the five minutes were up, he spoke "Let's see, why you don't introduce yourselves."

"Introduce ourselves? What should we say?" Sakura asked

Kakashi shrugged "What you like, hate, your dreams, and hobbies. Something like that"

"Why don't you introduce yourself first, sensei? So we know what to say" Naruto said

"Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream… I have few hobbies."

The three Genin were left with sweat drops on the back of their heads. Sakura turned to her new teammates "So all we found out was his name" Naruto nodded at it.

"Now it's your turn. Blondie, you go first"

Naruto shot a quick glare for his new nickname "I'm Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, Ichiraku Ramen, my friend Tenten and Hokage-ojisan. I dislikes are the three minutes you have to wait for your ramen to finish after you have poured water over it, people who will hurt my friends, and can't seem to tell the difference between a kunai and the scroll its sealed inside" this caused Kakashi to raise an eyebrow. He, of course, knew what Naruto was talking about. Sasuke and Sakura looked confused at Naruto. Naruto just continued, acting like he hadn't noticed "My hobbies are training, hanging out with Tenten, and tasting new kinds of ramen. And my dream for the future, I want to become the greatest Hokage and make everyone in the village acknowledge me. I also want to find out who my parents were" he finished, getting nods from Kakashi.

"Hai, next you pinkie"

"I'm Haruno Sakura! I like… well, the person I like is…" Sakura glances at Sasuke "And my hobbies are… well, my dream is to…" glances at Sasuke again, and giggles like crazy.

"And? What do you dislike?" Kakashi asked

"Naru- I mean… I dislike Ino-pig!" Sakura finished looking over at Naruto _'I promised that I would try to give him a chance. And I start today'._ Naruto looked surprised. He was half convinced that she would had said his name, and knew she almost did '_What happened to her?_'

Kakashi looked at Sakura '_Girls her age must be more interested in love than ninja training. Well at least she's trying to be nice.'_ "Now you, last guy"

Sasuke didn't look up when talked "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are many things that I hate, and there aren't a lot of things that I like. Also, I have an ambition that I have no intention to leave as just a dream. The revival of my clan, and to… kill a certain man." Naruto looked at Sasuke '_I guess it's the man who killed his clan…'_ Sakura was still hyped after her own introduction '_Sasuke IS cool'_

Kakashi on the other hand had a brief look of seriousness in his eyes '_just as I thought'_. He quickly got back to his old careless look "Alright, you three all have unique personalities. I like that. We're going to begin a mission starting tomorrow. First we're gonna do something we four can do together. Survival training"

"Survival training? Kakashi-sensei, we have just been through years of training in the Academy, cant we just go ahead and start missions?" Naruto asked rather annoyed.

"This is no ordinary training" Kakashi replied

Now Sakura was looking annoyed to _'Can't he just get to the point?'_ "Then what kind of training is it?"

Kakashi started laughing, freaking the three Genin out a bit. Sakura looked more annoyed than ever "What is so funny, sensei?"

"Well, if I say this, I'm sure you three are going to be shocked. Out of the twenty-seven graduates, only nine are going to become Genin. The other eighteen will be sent back to the Academy. In other words, this training is going to be a very hard test with a dropout rate of sixty-six percent." And as Kakashi had predicted, the three Genin were very shocked. "See? You three are shocked!" he said pointing at them.

"Are you kidding me? What was the final exam for?" Naruto asked in complete disbelief

"That? It just picks out those who are qualified to become Genin. Did you really think that three jutsu were gonna get you graduated? Out there is a world whose only goal is to get you killed. We're not going to send anyone out there, who isn't prepared." He paused to let it sink in "Anyway, I'm going to determine whether you pass or fail tomorrow at Training Ground 7. Bring your ninja equipment and meet at 5 A.M!" Kakashi could see how shocked the three Genin were. Even Sasuke, who had until now composed himself, trembled some. "Now then, meeting over. Oh yeah, don't eat breakfast. You're going to throw it up, if you do."

**- 5 A.M. at Training Ground 7 –**

The three Genin of Team 7 came from each their own direction, every one of them half asleep.

"Good Morning" Sakura said tiredly.

"Hey…" it came from Naruto.

And the three of them waited… and waited… and waited…

**- Three hours later –**

Finally, Kakashi came going from the tree-line "Hi fellows. Good morning"

"You're late!" both Naruto and Sakura yelled at him, while pointing accusingly at him. Now normally the new and improved Naruto wouldn't do that, but the lack of sleep, and his empty stomach made him momentarily pick up some of his old habits.

"Yeah, you see a black cat crossed my path, so…" Kakashi replied, but trailed off when he saw the faces of Team 7. He cleared his throat "Let's move on". He went over to a clock on a stub a few meters from the Genin "Alarm set at 12 PM" he then turned towards them, and took out two bells to show "Today's topic is to get one of these bells from me. Whoever can't, will have no lunch."

"What!?" it came from Naruto, but was ignored by Kakashi

"I'm going to tie you there, and eat lunch in front of you" he said, pointing at the three stubs, one of them having the alarm clock on it.

At that moment the Genin understood why he had told them not to eat breakfast. It took a few seconds for them to get over that.

"But wait, why are there only two bells?" Sakura asked

Kakashi showed one of his eye-smiles "I'm glad you asked Sakura. Since there's only two, at least on will have to be tied to the log. That person will fail, since he failed to complete the mission. The person will go back to the academy. It might just be one, or it can be all three. You can use tour shuriken. You won't be able to get these, unless you come at me with the will to kill me." He looked at his team. There were no objections. Kakashi continued "We're going to start after I say 'Ready, start'… Ready? Start!"

The Genin quickly jumped away, hiding in the surrounding area. Kakashi calmly took out a book, and, apparently, started reading _'The most important thing for a shinobi is to hide and conceal yourself. It seems like they got that part down.'_

Naruto was hidden in a tree along the river going through the training ground. He was looking at Kakashi, thinking how to do this '_This is a Jounin, the highest rank of ninja, only surpassed by the kages. I can't run head first in there, without having a plan. Just to get a few things down; there is no way that I can take him down. He can't be expecting us to either, which means… he is testing out skills. But, he should already know them from our records from the Academy, well beside me… He must be testing our teamwork! Damn it! There is no way Sasuke-teme will team up with me; he thinks I'm a dobe with no talents. And while Sakura has been nicer to me since yesterday, I don't think she'll go against "her Sasuke-kun". So the only way we can work together is if I prove myself. And I prove myself by fighting against a Jounin… whom I have no chance of beating.'_ Naruto sighed at the dilemma he was in '_I guess there's no choice then. The only plus side I can see, is that I can get some info on Kakashi… though he won't even be required to try'_. Naruto quickly formulated a plan. He made a few _kage bunshin_, and had them hide throughout the area.

Naruto jumped out from his hiding spot, and made his way to the field where Kakashi were standing. He took his stance a couple of meters in front of Kakashi. Kakashi looked from his book, acting like he had only just seen Naruto. He looked back in his book "You do know that it's basics for a shinobi to attack from the shadows, right?"

Naruto still in his stance, didn't take his eyes of Kakashi, observing everything "Yeah, but I figured there was no way that I, a newly graduated Genin, could beat you, a seasoned Jounin with years of experience. So I came to the conclusion that this test was to test our skills." Kakashi looked at him again '_He is observing me. Trying to find anything he can use against me. But he-'_ he was cut short when the earth began to quake. His eyes widened when he saw razor-sharp crystals shooting out of the ground, trying to impale him. He quickly jumped back to avoid it.

**"**_**Shoton: Kessho no Hari"**_it came from Naruto. Kakashi took his eyes of the pink crystals, and looked at Naruto. For the first time since he had met Team 7, he was truly shocked. Was it not for years of experience in the field and in the war, he would have shown emotions '_Shoton… I haven't heard of that in a while. I think there was something up in Ta no Kuni, but to think it would appear here in Konoha… And it to appear in the jinchuuriki of the kyuubi.'_

The two other members of Team 7 weren't handling themselves as well as Kakashi was. Sakura face was full of shock '_Shoton? Is that even a kekkei genkai? And how can Naruto have it?' she thought. __**'How the hell should I know!? Just don't get hit by it, CHA!'**_ it came from her inner self, which she completely agreed with.

Sasuke had his eyes narrowed '_how can the dobe have a kekkei genkai? He is a clanless looser with no family!'_

Kakashi looked at Naruto over his book "Well, since you want to show your skills, why don't you?"

"Very well then" Naruto said before charging. He aimed a punch in the guy, but it was easily parried by Kakashi. Kakashi frowned; the punch had been a lot harder than he would've thought it to be. It didn't stop Naruto, he aimed a kick at the ribs, but it was again parried. He then aimed a kick in the chest. Knowing that Kakashi would parry, he focused his chakra there. Kakashi parried, but was pushed back a few centimeters, much to Kakashi's surprise. Naruto used this to jump back through the air. Kakashi used this to his advantage, and threw a kunai. Naruto saw this, and quickly conjured up a hexagonal shuriken in his hand, and threw it to intercept the kunai. They clashed together and were pushed out of the way.

Naruto landed with a smirk "That was my _**Kessho: Rokkaku Shuriken**_". Kakashi still had his book up, but he had to focus a lot more than he had thought '_So, he is able to crystallize the air around him. It may seem like he doesn't have a weapon, but everything around him is. Also, it doesn't seem like he needs to use hand signs… But how was he able to kick so hard so suddenly?' _Kakashi took a closer look at Naruto, and saw light reflect off him, which cause Kakashi to raise his visible eyebrow. Naruto nodded at Kakashi "It's just what you think, Kakashi-sensei. I call it _**Kessho no Yoroi**__"_ Kakashi didn't react '_To think he ranked dead-last.'_ Kakashi was, to say the least, impressed.

"Kakashi, you're not going to retaliate?" Naruto asked in a ready pose.

Kakashi looked at Naruto. He knew that he wanted him to attack him, and that he had something up his sleeve. Kakashi shrugged before going through some hand signs _**"**__**Suiton: Mizurappa!**__**"**_ Kakashi took a deep breath, before beginning to spew out water towards Naruto. He made sure it wasn't as powerful, as he would make it towards an enemy. He had to remember, this was just a test. What Naruto did next completely shocked Kakashi. Naruto raised his arm, just like to intercept, and when the water was a meter from him, it started crystallizing and split so it didn't hit him. Kakashi quickly realized that this jutsu weren't going to work; it was just supplying Naruto with more material to crystallize.

"_**Shoton: Kessho Hachidori**_" Naruto cried with the ram sign up. From the crystals that Naruto had just made, thousands of small hummingbirds were created. They appeared around Naruto, until there were no crystals left on the ground. With an unsaid command, they attacked. They closed in quickly, aiming all over Kakashi. Kakashi jumped into the air just in time to avoid them. When they hit the ground, they created a big cloud of debris. '_That was a close one_' Kakashi thought, thinking he was out of harm's way.

**"**_**Shoton: Rokkaku Shuriken: Ranbu!**_**"** it came from several places around the clearing. From five places barrages of crystal shuriken was shot at him. '_Shit_' he thought, before quickly performing _Kawarimi no jutsu._ Naruto's shadow clones jumped out of hiding, before dispelling. Naruto nodded to himself in satisfaction, before jumping away. Now he just had to find the others.

Naruto was jumping through the canopies when he heard Sakura scream. He quietly made his way there, making sure he wasn't detected by Kakashi. He finally found Sakura; she was lying motionless on the forest floor. He wasn't worried if she had been hurt; he knew Kakashi wouldn't take it that far.

He made his way down to where she was, and after a brief examination it was clear she was under a genjutsu. He put to fingers on her forehead, while the other was in a ram sign "Kai!" Slowly her eyes fluttered up. As soon as she could see where she was, she quickly got to her feet "Sasuke-kun!"

"Relax Sakura-chan. You were under a Genjutsu" Naruto said, trying to get his teammate to calm down. But she was still going on about she had seen Sasuke dying. "Sakura!" that got her attention "Stop fussing like that! Sasuke is fine. You were under a Genjutsu. Besides, this is just a test, so there is no way that Kakashi-sensei would hurt any of us badly".

That seemed to sink in, but she quickly shook her head "But I need to find him fast. We don't have much time until the test ends!" she said, starting to run out of the clearing. Naruto quickly grabbed her arm "What is it Naruto-baka!"

Naruto sighed at her affectionate nickname for him "I agree, but we can't just take him on one on one. We need to work together – all three of us."

Sakura stopped trying to struggle his way out of his grip, and he let her go. Then she turned to face him fully "but… one of us will fail."

"Maybe… but it's better than all three of us failing." None of them said anything for a few seconds "Listen, I'll give the bells to you two, you like Sasuke, right?" it was an obvious question he already knew the answer on, but she blushed deeply and nodded. "Good, then you two can be on a team together. I'll just… take another year at the Academy. I already failed three times, what is one more time to that, right?" Sakura was looking at Naruto in disbelief '_was he always this nice? I kind of feel bad at how I treated him…'_

She nodded "okay, let's go find Sasuke-kun"

"No" Sasuke said.

Naruto starred at the black haired Genin in front of him with outrage "Why? You both will pass! We need to work together to get those bells!"

Sasuke scoffed "I don't need help from a clanless looser like you to do that"

"It didn't seem like that, when we found you buried to your neck before" Naruto replied with a bit of venom.

They kept bickering like that, with Sakura just sitting between them. Now normally she would jump to the defense of "her Sasuke-kun", but she could see the wisdom in Naruto's words, and she had seen what he could do with Shoton. Also, this meant that she would work together with Sasuke, and that she would be on the same team as Sasuke. But she knew they didn't have long time to do it.

"Sasuke-kun, we don't have very long time again before the test ends. Wouldn't it be better just to do it together and get it over with" she asked carefully, not wanting to get on the wrong side of Sasuke.

Sasuke actually seemed to think about it. He looked up in the sky to see the suns position. He scoffed "fine". Naruto nodded at Sakura, who was overjoyed now.

**- Two minutes to twelve –**

Kakashi was standing the middle of the clearing again. He looked over at the clock and sighed '_I guess it's just another team that doesn't pass. I actually hoped they would. Sensei's son, a Shoton user, and jinchuuriki of the kyuubi, the last loyal Uchiha, a true genius, and the girl weren't bad either. She just needs to get over her fan girl stadium. Oh well, maybe next time'_

It was then that three Naruto's ran out of the tree-line. He watched them coming, but didn't do anything visible to counter them.

They all brought their arms to what looked like a guard **"**_**Shoton: Suisho To!"**_ On their forearms deep blue-colored crystal tanto's formed. They charged forward as one, slashing like crazy at Kakashi. He could see that Naruto hadn't had this style practiced as much as the academy-style Taijutsu. He kept parrying and dodging. At last, he decided that it was time to get rid of the clones. He kicked hard in one of the Naruto's stomach and it dispelled. He was just about to do the same to the second, when he heard a voice shout behind him.

_**"**__**Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu!**__**"**_ Sasuke yelled, spewing out a large fireball towards Kakashi.

Kakashi saw this coming, and jumped out of the way. He was a little worried that it had hit Naruto, but it didn't last, as he saw them dispel '_they were clones all along, huh?_' he didn't have time to think, as he saw a barrage kunai being cast out of one of the trees. With closer inspection, he saw that it was Sakura. He brought up his kunai and began blocking them. He had just landed, when Naruto bolded out of the tree-line again. He was getting closer and closer to Kakashi, and was just about there when the alarm ringed. All three Genin looked in disbelief and despair at the clock.

"No, damn it! Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!" Naruto said, mentally kicking himself for not being a bit faster.

**- A few minutes later –**

Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were tied to the logs, and as Kakashi had said he would, was eating his lunch in front of them. Naruto's stomach was the loudest, but Sasuke's and Sakura's wasn't silent.

"Well then, none of you got the bells" Kakashi said. All of them were waiting for the dooming words. "You pass" Kakashi said. They stared disbelieving at him.

"But, you said that we would fail and be sent back to the academy if we didn't get the bells!" Naruto exclaimed.

Kakashi nodded "I lied" he stated flatly.

"But sensei, what was the test for then?" Sakura asked.

"You three are the first I have passed. People I had previously were blockheads, who just thought about themselves, and didn't want to risk getting kicked back to the academy. They didn't want to work together because they knew one of them had to fail. But that is not how being a shinobi works – especially a Konoha shinobi. We work together, train together and basically live together." He looked up in the sky "'in the world of shinobi, those who break the rules are called scrum. But those who don't take care of their friends are even worse than scum'. You guys worked together to have a chance, even though you knew one of you would fail the test. So to answer your question Sakura – it was to test your worth as a team."

Naruto looked at Kakashi, as he moved around the logs to tie up the robes '_you know, he isn't that bad. He is actually kind of cool'_. When he had tied them up, he turned to them "The training ends here. Everyone passes! Team 7 will start doing missions starting tomorrow!"

**Fuinjutsu - Literally meaning "Sealing Techniques":** are a type of jutsu that seal objects, living beings, chakra, along with a wide variety of other things within another object.

**Shoton: Kessho no Hari – Crystal Release: Crystal Needles:** The user creates long, sharp, and pointed bright pink and white crystals that shoot at the target at extremely high speeds with pinpoint accuracy.

**Kessho: Rokkaku Shuriken – Crystal Release: Hexagonal Shuriken:** The user creates crystal shuriken and launches them at the opponent. The shuriken are six-sided with spikes at the sides of each blade, resembling snowflakes.

**Kessho no Yoroi – Crystal Armor:** This technique allows the user to cover his skin with a thin sheet of crystal, protecting himself from physical attacks. This armor can also aid the user to perform stronger physical attacks. The user can control the thickness of the crystal, by focusing chakra in certain areas, to either give even higher defense, or harder punches or kicks. The crystal is transparent and can only be noticed by light reflecting off it.

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Wild Water Wave:** Water gushes out from the mouth like a waterfall and washes away the enemy. One can freely control the power of this technique with the amount chakra one releases. Having many variations, this is a basic Water Release technique.

**Shoton: Kessho Hachidori – Crystal Release: Crystal Hummingbirds:** Many humming birds are formed from crystal, the birds then home on the target dodging simple jutsu that attempt to stop them.

**Shoton: Rokkaku Shuriken: Ranbu – Crystal Release: Hexagonal Shuriken: Wild Dance:** The user creates and throws a vast amount of crystal shuriken at her opponent

**Kawarimi no jutsu – Body Replacement Technique:** With this technique, one replaces their own body with a block of wood or some other object, the moment an attack lands. This creates an optical illusion, making the enemy think the attack was successful. From this, the user can use the lapse in the enemy's attention to attack or flee from the battlefield. Explosive tags can be attached to the replacement for an added surprise. It's a basic Ninjutsu even taught at the Academy, but it's a useful art that can be applied in variety of situations.

**Shoton: Suisho To – Crystal Release: Jade Crystal Blade:** With this technique the user can quickly form a blade made of crystal on her arm, and use it in a manner reminiscent of a tanto. Blades can be formed on both arms if needed.

**Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu – Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique:** A technique where chakra kneaded inside the body is converted into fire, and expelled from the mouth in a massive orb of roaring flame or as a continuous flame-thrower. The scope of the attack is altered by controlling the volume of chakra that is mustered. The released flames will engulf their target, and leave a crater on the ground's surface. This technique apparently requires more than average chakra reserves and most Genin should not be able to do this technique. The Uchiha clan also uses this technique as a "_coming of age_" rite and as such was a common and one of the more favored techniques amongst them.


	3. The Hell Cat and the Ramen-stand

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto

**Chapter 3:** The hellcat and the Ramen-stand

Team 7 were jumping through the forests of Konoha, pursuing their target. It was faster than any of them thought it could be. They had used hours tracking it down, and now, for at least forty-five minutes, chasing it. But they were gaining in on it. They were close now.

Their target stopped. Team 7 quickly made their way to different hiding spots around their target.

"This is Sasuke, arrived at point B" it crackled through the radio

"Sakura here, I have reached point C"

"Naruto here, reached point A"

Kakashi was listening in, supervising them. Normally he would have scolded (as much as Kakashi now can scold people) them for taking so long, but this was no ordinary target. As soon as he heard they had reached their positions he tapped his radio "If you're all in position… Execute capture target T!"

Team 7 didn't need to hear anymore than that, they jumped from their hiding spots, going after the target. It was fast, and dodged first Sakura's attempt, then Sasuke's. Naruto seeing his opportunity, jumped into a tree, and came at it from above. It was a success; he grabbed the fur ball shaped target. It was, to say the least, not happy. It turned around and began attacking Naruto. The cat Tora was captured.

The crackling sound of Kakashi's voice over the radio sounded "Does it have a red ribbon on its right ear? Is it our target, Tora the cat?"

Sasuke looked lazily over at Naruto, who was getting beaten up by the small brown cat, and Sakura who was giggling at Naruto. Sasuke tapped his radio "Affirmative, Tora the cat is captured… again."

All the Genin of Team 7 were starting to hate Tora. Since they had graduated six weeks ago, they had had "capture Tora the cat" mission sixteen times – seventeen with this. For some reason the Hokage loved to give their team the most hellish missions. They were had all agreed it was because of Kakashi's tardiness.

**- At the mission delegation office -**

"My sweet, dear Tora-Chan, I missed you! I was so worried about you! My, my, you've gotten yourself really dirty, haven't you dear? We will have to take a long, wet shower when we come home" a large lady in red said to the hellish cat, while hugging it to death, much to the satisfaction of Team 7. They were all grinning evilly at the cat.

She turned towards Hiruzen, and bowed "Thank you Hokage-sama. I'm happy you're always willing to help" then she turned towards Team 7 "and thank you for helping"

The Sandaime nodded, while Kakashi smiled "ah, no problem Madam Shijimi. We were happy to help". All the Genin shot glares at Kakashi. Naruto scoffed mentally _WE? What the hell do you mean with "we"? You didn't do a damn thing. If we get that mission _one_ more time, I'm gonna kill that hellcat. I would be doing all of Konoha a favor._

Sakura also mentally on the same lines: _if you removed your eyes from that abomination of a book Sensei, you could have ACTUALLY HELP!_

Madam Shijimi walked over to the Hokage and handed him the payment "Here you are Hokage-Sama. I must be going now, goodbye"

"Goodbye Madam Shijimi, and give my regards to Fire Daimyo-Dono" The old Hokage said. She nodded at it, and made her way out the door. Hiruzen turned towards Team 7, to see Kakashi getting deadly glares from his team. "Now Team 7, let's see what we have for you now…" he looked through all the mission papers "Ah here we have it. Councilmember Yojyu needs someone to babysit his child while he is out on business, grocery shopping in a neighboring town and helping pick up potatoes at one of the Akamichi farms"

"Oh, come on! We have done nothing but D-ranks for almost two months! Can't you give us something just a little bit difficult!?" Naruto exclaimed. Sakura and Sasuke looked annoyed by it, but they agreed; they too were getting tired of all the easy missions. Kakashi sweat dropped _you know it's gonna be me who take all the trash, right? I guess its revenge for me not helping with Tora…_

Iruka sighed "Naruto, you already know how the ninja rank goes. You're only newly graduated Genin. Until you have trained some more, you can't go on higher ranking missions than D-rank"

"But I'm not the same kid who used to paint over the Hokage monument! I can handle myself!" Naruto retorted.

The old Hokage looked at one of this year's most promising Genin _there is some truth to that._ He chuckled lightly while puffing on his pipe "Kakashi, what do you say? Do you think they are ready?"

Kakashi, who in the meantime had taken up his little orange book, looked over his Genin team. They were all looking at him with begging eyes. He took a deep breath "I would say a C-rank would suffice. They have been making slow but steady progress."

Hiruzen nodded "Very well then. If you insist I do have a C-rank for you then. It's an escort- and guard mission to Nami no Kuni."

"Ano, who are we supposed to escort then?"Sakura asked

Instead of answering Sakura's question, Hiruzen called out towards the door "Tazuna-san, can you please enter"

In through the door were wobbling a drunk middle-aged man. He had grey hair and a large beard of same color. He wore glasses with a dark pair of eyes behind them. It took him a few seconds to get his balance. When he finally did, he narrowed his eyes when he saw who the ninja team, that was supposed to protect him, was made up of "What the hell is this? You're giving me a couple of brats? I mean, the short one doesn't even seem to be ten! They can't have any skill!" he slurred out.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. He had matured from his old self, but his short height was still a touchy subject. And then he criticized their skill. Naruto smirked, which caused Kakashi to worry. Before any of the people in the room could do anything, a big crystal shot out of the ground, impaling the bottle Tazuna was raising to his mouth, successfully pouring its content all over Tazuna's chest. He blinked a couple of times, very surprised. He wasn't the only one; all the ANBU guards in the room were mentally wide-eyed behind their mask. This was the first time they had seen the Shoton in action. They had of course all heard about it; it was big news when the village got a new kekkei genkai. But they didn't show any of this, thanks to their years in service.

"What was it you were saying oji-san?" Naruto smiled. He didn't get any answer.

Behind him Hiruzen coughed in his hand "Naruto, please don't kill our clients. Wouldn't be good for business, you know." Naruto looked over his shoulder, before shrugging. He snapped his fingers, and the crystal shattered in tiny microscopic pieces. Tazuna was breathless by the sight of the crystal shimmer in front of him, but composed himself.

"Erm… I am Tazuna and I'm an expert in bridge building. I will need you to escort me bang to Nami no Kuni and protect me while I finish it" the old man from Wave said.

Kakashi turned towards his team "You heard the man. This is a C-rank, so we will probably be away for a few weeks. Go home and pack all that you could need. We meet at the main gate tomorrow morning at 8 A.M." Sakura, Sasuke and Naruto nodded.

"Good then. Team 7, I expect you back in a few weeks then. Dismissed"

Naruto was walking down the main street alone. As soon as they had been dismissed from the mission delegation office, Sasuke had walked towards the Uchiha District with Sakura in his ass. He sighed '_I still like Sakura-Chan, but the way she acts sometimes… I have to find a way to talk to her about it. Most of the time she doesn't act like a kunoichi. Maybe I can use Sasuke to make her act less fan girlish.'_

He was making his way to Higarashi Weapon Shop to buy different ninja tools for the upcoming mission. He had thought he had it all at home, but no such luck. He couldn't wait till he was better at fuinjutsu so he could make the exploding tags himself, but it was so damn hard to understand. He was only one fourth of the way through the first beginner book. He had learned to make sealing scrolls, and he was good at it, but the rest… It went slowly. It didn't really help with clones, since it was him that had a hard time understanding it. But he was making progress, slow and steady. He was brought out of his thoughts when he almost bumped into someone on the street. He quickly got out of the strangers way. He wasn't going to give the villagers any excuses to hate him more. Though, since he had graduated, they were concealing it more.

He had made his way to the weapon shop. He was hoping to see Tenten in there; he hadn't seen her in three weeks. She had been given a mission, so she was away, and now he was going on one… If he didn't see her, it would probably be a few weeks more. He stepped inside, and was delighted to hear a familiar voice.

"Welcome to Higari- Hey Naruto!" Tenten said, making her way out from the counter to give him a quick hug. They may only have known each other for a few weeks, but Tenten had become his best friend – if not because she was his first. When she was done she took a good look a good look at him "It's good to see you again. Now, did you come to buy or just to say hey to little old me?" she smiled at him.

Naruto smiled back "Well, kind of both. You see, my team has gotten its first C-rank mission, so I need to restock all my ninja tools, like explosion tags, smoke- and flash bombs, things like that. And then I hoped to run into you before I was going away"

She nodded, and began to take all the different articles from the shelves and put them on the counter. When she got to the kunai and shuriken, Naruto shook his head "I won't need those"

Tenten frowned "I know you told me you like hand to hand combat and Ninjutsu combat more, but you will need weapons"

"That wasn't what I meant" Naruto looked around the store, just to make sure they were alone. While most of the higher-ups ninja knew of his Shoton abilities, there weren't many others that did, and he planned to keep it that way for as long as he could. "I can make them myself" he said, holding his hand up, conjuring a crystal shuriken.

Tenten gasped "How did you do that?" she motioned to take it, but quickly stopped herself and looked at him "Can I take a look at it?" Naruto nodded. She took it from his hand, and looked closer at it. She was, to say the least, impressed. There were such detail, and she couldn't find any weakness in the way it was build, even though it should be fragile. In fact, it was the opposite, it was sturdy.

When she was done, she made motion to return it to Naruto, but he shook his head "You keep it, I can make a thousand others in no time"

She smiled at him, bigger than before. She put it down in her pocket, making sure it was safe. She looked at him again "You still haven't answered my question; how did you do that?"

Naruto's face turned serious "You can't tell this to anyone, ok?" she nodded. She weren't going to betray one of her closest friends. "I have Shoton kekkei genkai. I found out just after I graduated, and before you ask, yes, the Hokage knows, and so does all the higher-up shinobi."

Tenten was stunned, but regained herself… somewhat "So, how does it work?"

"Well, I haven't really figured it all out yet, but it seems like I can crystallize anything with a mass, such as earth, water, wood and so on. But I can't crystallize energy, such as lightning, wind and chakra. The only exception is my own chakra. I'm guessing it's because I'm so tuned into it. If I had to guess, I would think that if I spent enough time on, let's say a lightning bolt, I would be able to crystallize it. But because it only lasts for a few seconds at most, I wouldn't be able to do it. And all lightning bolts have a different energy signature, so it wouldn't help to try it out on a thousand different."

Tenten nodded, satisfied with the explanation. She was happy he was willing to share like that to her; she could see it was one of his "big secrets". He still wouldn't tell her why all the villagers seemed to hate him so much, but she guessed it was just a matter of time.

She walked over the cash register and typed all the items in Naruto was planning to buy "Ok, that will be 865 yen."

Naruto took the money out of his wallet, Gama-Chan, and put it on the counter before putting all the items in various pockets in his outfit. Tenten was still amused by his little frog wallet, and the fact that he had named it.

"Tenten, do you want to go grab something to eat? I probably won't be back for a few weeks" Naruto asked.

Tenten looked thoughtful for a second "One second. I just got to ask dad if he can watch the counter". She ran out back for twenty seconds and came back with a smile "It won't be a problem. Now, where do you want to go?" she asked, already knowing the answer.

Naruto smirked at her "Do you really have to ask? Ichiraku Ramen of course."

**- Thirty minutes later at Ichiraku Ramen -**

Naruto and Tenten walked into the small stand "Hey Teuchi-ojisan, Ayame-neesan!"

Teuchi and Ayame, who were standing and making noodles, turned around to face where the voice had come from. Ayame were the first to speak "Naruto-kun and Tenten-san. Let me guess? The usual?" she asked with a smile.

Both nodded "You bet neesan."

The old ramen-stand owner chuckled deeply "Coming right up". Both of them turned to continue making the noodles and soup.

While they were waiting for the ramen, Naruto turned towards "By the way, you never told what your mission was about. I got told you were on one from Kaito"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I tried to find you, but obviously couldn't, and we had to go fast. My sensei is rather eccentric, and he makes everything into a competition…" she said, dropping her head at the end. Gai was a good sensei and all, but she could use a holiday from all the craziness.

"No worries. Now, what was your mission about?"

"There had been some bandit raids on some small villagers down by the border to Kawa no Kuni, so the villagers had hired us to track them down and take care of them…" Tenten told Naruto about the mission, how they had gone from village to village to get information, and to how they tracked down and took care of the bandit groups in the area. In the meantime they had gotten their ramen, and Naruto was on his third.

"Sounds like you had your work cut out for you, huh?" Naruto asked, inhaling some more noodles.

Tenten looked at her friend with a smile. She had tried more than once to get Naruto to eat with some manners. She had had some success with dango, but with noodles… According to Naruto, it was kami's gift to mankind, and he couldn't get enough of it. "Yeah, but I have a good team. I trust them, no matter how weird they can be"

Naruto sighed "I wish I had a team like that"

"Is it still about Sasuke?"

"Yeah. He just doesn't want to work or train together. He says that I would 'drag him down'" he made quotation marks in the air to what Sasuke had said. "I just can't win with that guy. I'm probably one of the people in the village who understand him the most. I never knew my parents. Of course I can't put myself in his place; to have all that love just for it to get taken away…" he trailed off

Tenten could see he didn't like to talk about that, so she tried to get the conversation to move on "Then what about that girl, Sakura was her name?"

"Yeah, Sakura. Well, she is nicer to me than she was at the Academy, but she doesn't really act like a kunoichi. She is all about diets, her hair, what clothes she weir, and if Sasuke likes it. I like her, but I wish I could talk some sense into her."

"Ouch. I had a couple of fan girls on my class too. They haven't really made it far, so it would be good if you could talk to her." He nodded at that. She took another mouthful of ramen "Now I've told you about my mission, why don't you tell me about yours? It was your first C-rank, right?"

Naruto brightened up when she asked. She loved her blond friend's antics. "Yes, it's our first C-rank. We're supposed to escort some old drunk named Tazuna to Nami no Kuni, and then guard him while he finishes some bridge there."

Tenten shook her head at her friend's bluntness at describing people. He hadn't really learned what should be thought and not said. "Well, good luck then. It's a C-rank, so you shouldn't get into something you can't handle. Especially with your little gift" she said, referring to his crystal powers.

Naruto nodded "Thanks"

They were silent for a bit while eating their food. Naruto broke the silence "Do you have any chakra weights at your shop? I read that they can help you with your speed and strength. I was really planning to wait till I could make restriction seals, but it's going slower than I had anticipated. So for now, I will have to go with weights. I tried to look for them while you were gone, but couldn't find any, and I never got to ask Kaito."

Tenten finished what ramen she had in her mouth "You wouldn't be able to find them. There aren't many that buy them, so we will have to order them. I can do it later back at the shop. They should be here when your back from your mission."

"Thanks" Naruto said, taking another inhaling of ramen, now on his fifth bowl.

"So it's here where you were hiding? And with a girl nonetheless! I'm so proud. I hope I didn't interrupt anything" a voice came from behind them. Both of the Genin spun around on their chair to be faced with a big white-haired man.

"Ero-sennin! It's nothing like that. Kami, you're such a pervert!" Naruto said a little high.

"Damn it gaki, how many times have I told you not to call me that? And it's super-pervert thank you." Jiraiya responded, puffing a bit.

Tenten watched as the two kept bickering. She knew she had seen the old man somewhere before. Then it hit her; it was Jiraiya! Tsunade's, her idol, old teammate. "Naruto! You really shouldn't call someone like Jiraiya that! Sorry Jiraiya-sama" she said while bowing.

Naruto scoffed "You wouldn't say that if you knew him. And you heard what he said: he is a super-pervert". Tenten looked from Naruto to Jiraiya '_Well, he did say that. But someone with that much skill and such a high rank can't be a pervert. Can he?'_

"Now, now Naruto. Don't get into a fight with your girlfriend" Jiraiya said with a smirk, causing both of the Genin to blush.

Naruto was the first to speak "Damn it Ero-sennin! I told you it isn't like that!" he paused for a few seconds. "Now that I think about it, why are you here? I thought you were out of the village?"

Jiraiya smiled at his part-time student "I was, but I'm back to report to sensei, and he told me that you're going on your first C-rank?"

"You bet I am!" was Naruto's answer

"Ok, in that case I got a new exercise for you" the white haired man said, taking off his backpack and looked through it. Now Naruto was excited; as much as a pervert the old sage was, he was a good teacher and always had new thing Naruto could do. He got more and more excited the longer it took Jiraiya to find whatever it was he was looking for.

His excitement plummeted when Jiraiya took up what looked like a water balloon and gave it to Naruto. Naruto looked curious, and a little disappointed, at Jiraiya.

Jiraiya sighed "It's the first step to a jutsu. And before you ask; no I won't show you before you have at least mastered the second stage. There are three stages."

"Aww, are you sure you won't show me the jutsu?" Jiraiya shook his head. Naruto sighed "Fine, but what am I supposed to do?"

"This" Jiraya took out another balloon. First nothing happened, but then small lumps began to appear on the surface, before it burst. Naruto and Tenten looked curiously at his hand, where the balloon had been before. "You have to burst it open by using your chakra alone. Just rotate the water inside it." Jiraiya took out a scroll "Here I have sealed a lot of balloons inside it. It won't be easy, but if you manage to finish it before I get back, I'll give the second stage to Kakashi. For the third stage, you will have to wait for me".

Naruto took the scroll and put it down his pocket "Thank you Ero-sennin". Jiraiya nodded at him, before waving and walked away. Naruto turned back to his ramen, just to see Tenten look accusingly at him "What?"

"What? You're learning from Jiraiya-sama, one of the Densetsu no Sannin, and you don't tell me?"

"I didn't think it was that important. Besides, he doesn't really train me. Kakashi-sensei is my sensei, though he doesn't train me much either…"

Tenten sighed "Just promise me, if you ever get to meet Tsunade-sama, and you get the chance, please introduce me to her"

"Will do" Naruto said smiling. He knew that Tsunade was Tenten's idol, and that she held her in very high regard. He finished his bowl "Oh well, I'm full now. How about you?"

Tenten looked at him with an amused look "I have been done for twenty minutes"

Naruto chuckled at that "Well, thank you for staying then"

"No problem. What are friends for, right?"

"Right". And with that they paid for their meal, said their goodbyes, and walked each their way.

**- Next morning at Konoha main gate, 11 A.M. -**

"Gah, where are your sensei? He should've been here three hours ago!" Tazuna said rather irritated "I knew you weren't worth anything". Sakura and Sasuke shot him a glare. Naruto just kept reading his book. He may have lost it a bit when he first met the old drunk, but he weren't gonna let that happen again. He was aiming to be a top notch shinobi of Konoha.

Naruto looked up from his book "Well, it's almost eleven now, so he should be here any minute. He is always at least three hours late."

And as if called upon, a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the road, with Kakashi in the middle of it.

"YOU'RE LATE!" Sakura screeched, making everyone else wince at the volume of her voice.

"Sorry, sorry. You see, a cat crossed my path, so I had to take another way, and then I saw an old lady trying to get across the street, and I just had to stop to help her over". All the persons present just gave him a look that said 'You don't really think you're fooling anyone, do you?' "Anyway, it seems like we're all here, so let's get going. Remember all the stuff you have packed."

Sasuke scoffed, but picked up his backpack. He took a look at Naruto. He couldn't see any backpack "dope, aren't you forgetting something?"

Naruto was putting his book down in his pocket "No, what should that be?"

It was Sakura who answered "What about the things you should have packed?"

Naruto shrugged and took up two scrolls "It's in here. Way easier than carrying around a heavy backpack."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow. He had seen that Naruto was reading fuinjutsu books, but he didn't think he was this far in it. He stopped Sakura and Sasuke from digging more into it "Ok, it seems you all have your stuff, so let's get going." With that Tazuna and Team 7 walked out the gate, making their way to Nami no Kuni.

Next time: the wave mission begins.

**Nami no Kuni – Land of Waves**

**Kawa no Kuni – Land of Rivers**

**Densetsu no Sannin - Literally meaning "Legendary Three Ninja":** The Sannin was a group of three legendary ninja, noted to be three of the greatest ninja of their time. While all three eventually left the village at some point for their own reasons, they still retained their title as the Sannin. Their names are Senju Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru.


	4. To Nami no Kuni with Demons in the mist!

**Disclaimer****: **I do not own Naruto

**Chapter 4:** To Nami no Kuni with demons in the mist

Team 7 was walking down a road in the middle of the forest surrounding Konoha. They had only left said village a few hours ago, and had some days of journey ahead of them. Tazuna was walking in the middle of the group, with Kakashi walking behind the rest, pretending to read his little orange book while giggling perversely, to complete the illusion. He didn't think much was going to happen on this mission, maybe a few thugs, one or two bandits, but nothing his team couldn't handle. But he knew he had to keep an eye out; he was responsible for the safety of his team, and he wouldn't let anything happen to them, even if it meant giving his own life in the process.

In the front Sasuke was walking, with Sakura trying to get his attention by trying to start a conversation, but she wasn't very successful; all she got in return was scoffs, and if she were lucky, a couple of "hn" from didn't matter that much to her; she just kept telling Sasuke of her life, all the things she wanted for the future and so on.

Naruto was walking on the right side of Tazuna, while enjoying the day. He was working on the water balloon that Jiraiya gave him, but he hadn't had much luck. So far it would only bent one way, nothing what Jiraiya's balloon had looked like. But he kept trying.

He looked over at Sakura and Sasuke '_Now she even let her fangirlish tendencies disrupt missions. She is supposed to walk on Tazuna-ojisan's left side to guard him. I guess it doesn't matter much right now; this is only a C-rank, but… I really got to figure a way to get into her head that she got to start taking being a kunoichi serious. If not, she could be killed, or one of us could, try to protect her…'_

Eventually she ran out of things to talk to Sasuke about, and turned towards Tazuna "Tazuna-san, can I ask you about something?"

Tazuna looked at the little pink haired girl "What is it?"

"You're from Nami no Kuni, right?" she asked curiously

"What about it?" he asked just a little irritated. Tazuna was an old man, and he wasn't known for his patience.

"I was just wondering why you didn't use ninja from your own country? Don't you have a village there?"

It was Kakashi who answered "no, there are no ninja in Nami no Kuni. Some countries are too small, too poor, or simply don't want or need a ninja village. For Nami it's the latter. It's remote and isn't influenced or influencing easily by other countries, so there is no need for a ninja village. If a small country, like Nami, needs help from shinobi, they get it from a village from another country, like Konoha."

Tazuna nodded "you're quite right" and left it at that. After that they walked in silence, only interrupted by Sakura trying to get Sasuke to talk again from time to time.

They continued like that for a few more hours. They were almost out of the forest, when Naruto noticed something. It was a little pool of water in the middle of the road. He frowned '_That's odd. It hasn't rained for over two weeks; in fact, it has been quite the opposite. There hasn't been more than a few clouds on the heaven, and it's been baking hot. And yet, here in the middle of the road, in a month where the sun has been high in the sky, there is a water puddle.' _He thought for a few seconds, trying to figure out how it could be '_Could it be?'_ He looked back at Kakashi, who subtly nodded without taking his eyes off his book. They continued forward.

They passed the puddle without either of Sakura or Sasuke noticing the oddity. When they had passed it by a few meters it quietly morphed into two persons. Kakashi and Naruto had noticed it, but didn't show. Quickly, one of the persons threw the other, retracting the kunai-chain that was connecting the two through gauntlets. They quickly wrapped Kakashi in it, before stopping on each side of him. The rest of the group turned around. Tazuna, Sasuke and Sakura looked chocked, while Naruto acted like it, but in reality he knew that Kakashi had a plan. Naruto took a closer look at the two now obvious shinobi, and saw their hitai-ate's '_Kirigakure. What are kiri-nin doing here?'_

The two kiri-nin retracted the kunai-chain, slicing what appeared to be Kakashi in half. "First one down" the one on the left said. They quickly disappeared in a blur of speed, only to reappear behind Naruto "Second one". Their chain began to extend out, trying to wrap itself around Naruto. He wouldn't have any of that; he stomped in the ground, making a small wall of crystal appear between him and the kiri-nin's.

They were stunned, and before they could react, a shuriken followed by a kunai impaled their chain on a tree behind them. Sasuke was up in the air going through some hand signs. He took a deep breath, before spewing out a large fireball **"**_**Katon: Gokakyu no jutsu**_**".** The kiri-nin tried to pull the chain out of the tree, but quickly realized that they couldn't. They snapped the chain from their gauntlet, and dodged by jumped each their way, but they weren't finished yet. One of them charged towards Sasuke, and the other towards Tazuna, both planning to strike their target down with their claw.

Sakura quickly got in front of Tazuna with a kunai in her hand '_I have to protect him! He is our charge! But how? How can I do this?'_ she trembled lightly "Stay back Tazuna-san!"

Naruto saw this. He wasn't concerned about Sasuke; as much as an ass he was, he could take care of himself. But it was another story with Sakura. This was exactly what he had feared might happen. He saw the kiri-nin get closer and closer to the pink haired kunoichi, and knew he had to do something fast. Quickly he went through hand signs and slapped his hand down on the ground "_**Shoton: Suisho no Hashira"**_**.**

Before the shinobi from kiri could react, he was shot seven meters into the air by a crystal pillar that had appeared under him. He narrowed his eyes when he looked down and saw the blond ninja holding his hand palm on the ground. Naruto smirked "Your battle is with me!"

Naruto quickly glanced over at Sasuke before his own battle started. He was doing ok as far as he could see; he were dodging most attacks, and quickly japing to counter. He looked back at his own opponent who was jumping down from the pillar. He looked at Sakura; he eyes were full of fear. He nodded at her with a smile. It seemed to help a little, as she tried to smile and nodded back at him.

Naruto jumped back to dodge the claw that was slashing at him from above. The kiri-nin was glaring at him. Naruto just smirked "Now, you can't expect me to nicely stay in one place. That would just be too easy, now wouldn't it?" He only got a growl in response. The kiri-nin began slashing at Naruto, who dodged it each and every time. Naruto jumped back after thirty second of that and laughed a bit "You will have to do better than that".

Sasuke heard Naruto laugh, and looked over to see how easily he was handling his opponent. It angered him '_Trying to show me up, are you dobe? Not going to work! I'm gonna get my opponent down in no time!'_ he thought as he ducked under yet another strike, only to counter with a kick in the stomach, which pushed his opponent back a meter or two. He charged his opponent and unleashed a flurry of punches and kick from his Uchiha style. This caused him to be left open, not going unnoticed by the kiri-nin. He slashed towards Sasuke's not open ribs. Sasuke saw it, but couldn't block it; he wasn't fast enough. Just before it hit, a couple of crystals shot up from the ground, blocking the attack.

"Teme! Get your game together! I can't fight both our fights!" Naruto yelled, jumping over a strike and kicking his opponent in the face. Sasuke scoffed.

In Naruto's fight, he was the clear superior. The longer they fought, the more of an advantage he had. The kiri-nin kept slashing at him, exhausting himself like that. Sasuke's were another story. They were close to equals, and it didn't help that Sasuke didn't keep his head cool. He tried to prove himself because of how good Naruto was doing, resulting in him getting bruises here and there, but no cuts so far.

Naruto winced when his opponent finally got him; he had a scratch across the back of his hand. Naruto decided that he had had enough of it "Sasuke, throw yours over here".

Sasuke looked annoyed by the fact that his blond teammate was giving him orders, but complied. The next time his opponent slashed at him, he grabbed his arms, and threw him over at Naruto's opponent. They knocked each other to the ground, and Naruto went through a seals **"**_**Kessho Purizumu**_**"**. Three glass-thin red crystals grew out of the ground, encasing the kiri-nin in a prism. But Naruto didn't stop there; he went through another set of seals, before slamming his hand on the red crystal "_**Shoton: Baningu Kosoku**__"_. From the sides of the crystal prism, chains shot out, wrapping around the two enemy shinobi. When it was done, Naruto lowered the prism, only leaving the two kiri-nin sitting on the ground. Before they could react, Naruto knocked them both out by slamming them on the neck.

That's when Kakashi came out of the tree-line clapping. "Very good, I'm impressed" he said with an eye smile. Sakura and Sasuke watched him with wide eyes, before glancing over where they thought they had seen him getting sliced in half. There were only wood-pieces left there – a clear evidence of a Kawarimi. naruto just watched passively. He didn't think there was a way for Kakashi to get taken down by two ninja of that caliber.

Tazuna scoffed "Why didn't you help your students? They could've died! I knew I should've asked for some better shinobi" he said not sounding a little bit irritated.

Kakashi looked back at him without emotion "I was standing in the tree-line all the time, ready to jump in at any moment if the need should arise."

He paused walking over to the kiri-nin, checking the chains. He took them up, and began walking over to a thick tree, taking out his own chains. "Now, isn't there something you would like to tell us? Those two are the Demon Brothers of Kiri; Gozu and Meizu. They are two C-rank missing-nin. Whilethey could've been after one of us, but that is highly unlikely. For one reason; these three" Kakashi gestured towards his team "is newly graduated ninja; they haven't made their name yet. It's true they could've been after me, but I don't have anything standing with Kiri. Another reason is that we just got assigned to this mission. Not even the Hokage knew we were going to get it, before we did. So that only leaves you" Kakashi continued while tying up the Demon Brothers. Tazuna gulped. Kakashi ignored it for now and turned towards Naruto "You can dispel your chains now" Naruto nodded and snapped his fingers, making his chains shatter. While Naruto didn't need to snap, he loved how it looked. But to give him some credit, he was still a twelve year old, ninja or not. Kakashi saw the cut at Naruto's hand "Naruto, their blades are poisoned, don't move too much, or the poison will spread".

Kakashi turned towards Tazuna "I'll ask you more directly: are there any reasons for two missing-nin to be after you? Because we haven't heard anything about you being targeted by missing-nin's. Your request was to protect you from armed groups like thugs or robbers. This is a mission that's above C-rank, possibly B-rank borderline A-rank. Our mission was to support and guard you until you completed the bridge. If ninja are our enemy, this mission would have been an expensive B- or A-rank. It looks like you have your reasons, but it only troubles us if you lie in your request details. This" he gestured to The Demon Brothers "wasn't a part of the mission."

That's when Sakura spoke up "This mission is out of our league. We may have been able to defeat these, but they couldn't have been more than high genin to low chunin level skill wise. If whoever is after you send stronger shinobi, we will be in trouble. Let's quit. We also need anesthesia to take out the poisoned blood out of Naruto. We need to go back to the village and see a doctor!" In the weeks since they had graduated, Naruto had grown at her. While she still found him annoying from time to time, and she didn't like the way he acted towards Sasuke, she had started to respect him for his skills. Something she never thought she would in the Academy.

"No, that's not needed" the group looked at Naruto. Naruto looked at Sakura "Can I borrow a kunai please?" she was weary, not knowing what he was going to do, but lent him one. As soon as he had it in his hand, he quickly stabbed the back of his hand, forcing a lot of blood out.

Sakura gasped "What are you doing baka!"

Naruto shrugged "The mission is still on"

"Naruto, it's nice that you took out the poisoned blood and all, but you're going to die from loss of blood if any more comes out" Kakashi said with a carefree voice.

Naruto just laughed at the comment "As if that could happen". He knew of the Kyuubi's regenerative abilities that he had gotten. He dried off the blood from the kunai, and handed it to Sakura "Thanks for lending it to me". He then went on to drying off his hand in the grass, before continuing walking down the path.

Kakashi soon followed, with the rest of the group close behind. He watched the hand, and could see it was already healing '_So that's what he meant. It must be the Kyuubi's power. He knows more about it than I would have thought'._

**- Fortress, Unknown location -**

"Failed!? I spent a lot of money to hire all of you because I heard you all were skilled ninja!" a short man in a business suit said looking at a larger man, who was sitting in a throne-like chair.

"Stop complaining!" the man in the chair sneered, swinging a big butcher-like knife at the shorter man, just to stop inches from his throat. "I'll use this decapitating "knife" and kill those guys."

The shorter man didn't seem to believe he could do it, and starting talking in a mocking tone "Do you really think you will be ok? It looks like the enemy has hired good shinobi, and since the Demon Brothers failed in the assassination, they'll be more cautious, so it won't be easy"

"Who do you think I am?" the sword wielding person said, not liking the tone the shorter man was speaking to him in. "I, Momochi Zabuza, was called the Demon of Kirigakure."

The shorter man looked at him "fine, do what you want. But I expect him to be dead – and soon" he said, walking away.

**- Team 7 campsite later that night -**

Naruto was sitting on a hill at the edge of the camp. Kakashi had taken the first watch, and he was taking the second. He was sitting reading the book on fuinjutsu. He almost understood the concept behind the explosion tags. But he knew he couldn't make them yet. He made a note to himself to have his clones work on his handwriting. He wasn't ashamed to say that it sucked; he hadn't really needed it – until now.

He heard steps behind and looked over his shoulder, to see Sakura walking towards him he turned to his book again "Can't sleep?"

"No" her voice sounded behind him "I was – hey! Aren't you supposed to keep watch?" she asked a little accusingly. Naruto didn't answer, instead he pointed to places at the edge of the camp. She looked to see a couple of kage bunshin. "Oh, sorry…"

"No problem" he flipped a page "why can't you sleep?"

She hesitated. She didn't really know if she wanted to share this with Naruto. She sighed, and sat down a meter beside him "I keep thinking about the battle. And then now, how tired Sasuke is because of it… I don't know."

This time it was Naruto's turn to hesitate. This was the moment he had waited for; the moment he could try to get her to act more like a kunoichi instead of a fangirl. "I have some advice, but I don't know how much you're going to like it." She just looked at him, as he continued "You need to get it together. We're shinobi now; we aren't just students. If it had been only you today, Tazuna and you would have been killed."

Sakura frowned. She didn't like it, but he was true "what would you have me do then?"

"Stop being a fan girl" was the response.

"I'm not a fan girl!" Naruto looked up from his book and gave her a look that said 'Are you kidding me?' She sighed "ok, maybe just a little bit"

Naruto shook his head with an amused grin on his lips "Try to take being a kunoichi more serious. Don't go on diet, you need the energy the food gives you. If you train without it, you will just become skinny. And not the good skinny you want, I mean bad unhealthy skinny. I don't think Sasuke would like that very much" she blushed like she had just found out her secret crush "and then start training. Stop caring so much about your clothes, hair and so on. Start focusing on training more." He paused "And for the record, it may even help your chances with Sasuke" it hurt a bit to say that to the girl _he_ had a crush on "Sasuke is attracted to power. So if you become a powerful kunoichi, you may even get him."

Sakura nodded. She didn't like everything that was said. She needed to think about it. She rose and started walking back to her tent, but stopped and turned halfway around "Thank you… Naruto." Naruto just lifted his hand and half waved without looking up from his book, as to say 'no problem'. She walked to her tent, and tried to get some sleep before her watch was coming up. However her thoughts lingered some, especially on the new attitude of their blond teammate.

_He changed so much since the academy… and ever since learning he has a Kekkai Genkai, he has been more responsible. He still acts only a little goofy, but he does not even ask me out on dates any more…_

For whatever reason she felt a ping in her heart from that. He still calls her Sakura-Chan, but overall he has acted much more appropriate to her. Yet something still mewled at her.

_I really like this Naruto…. But kind of miss the old one… _

**- Early next morning -**

Team 7 and Tazuna were sailed in a little boat in the thick morning mist. They were sailing from the mainland to the largest island of Nami no Kuni. The boat didn't even have a motor; it was propelled forward by a guy who was slowly paddling, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"The mist is so thick. I can't see anything in it" Sakura stated.

No one answered her right away, but Tazuna broke the silence "We should be able to see the bridge soon"

"If we sail alongside the bridge, we should be in Nami no Kuni soon" the paddling guy said.

And as if on command, the bridge appeared out of the mist. The Genin were stunned; it was _huge_. They had never seen anything like it. "Wow… that's unbelievable." Naruto said a little highly, while the other Genin nodded in agreement.

The paddling guy didn't like it "Hey, be quiet! We're using this boat and hiding in the mist. That's why I'm rowing instead of using an engine. In other words; if we get caught, we'll be in serious trouble!"

"Sorry" Naruto said lowly.

Kakashi was looking at the old bridge builder "Tazuna-san, before the boat gets to the pier, there's something I need to ask you." Tazuna looked like he knew what was coming "Who are the people who are after you, and why are they after you. That or we call the mission when you get ashore, and return to Konoha."

All the eyes of the Konoha shinobi were on Tazuna "it looked like I have to tell you the real story. I mean, I would like for you to hear my story. As you said" he nodded towards Sakura "this mission is most likely out of your job description and capabilities." He paused. No one was commenting, just looking at him intensely. "An extremely terrible man is after my life."

"Who is it?" Sakura asked

"You should have all at least heard of the name… Marine transportation billionaire Gatou."

That surprised Kakashi "Gatou? The one from the Gatou Company? He's one of the richest men on the elemental continent."

Tazuna nodded "Yeah, he is the president of the Gatou Company on the outside. But underground he uses gangs and ninjas to smuggle drugs and contraband goods. He also does a nasty jobs like takeovers of other companies and small countries. And one year ago, he set his sight on Nami no Kuni. He entered this country using violence and wealth as his shield and he quickly took over the island's sea traffic and transportation."

"Of course…" Naruto said, bringing all eyes on him.

"Of course what dobe?" Sasuke asked, irritated that Naruto apparently figured something out before him.

"If you wanted to take over a country like Nami, what would be the first thing you were going to do?" neither Sakura nor Sasuke answered him. "Take over the shipping industry. If you control that, you control everything in a country like this. They use the shipping industry to get things from the mainland, to transport stuff between the islands and so on. In a country like Nami, controlling the sea means ruling over the wealth, politics and the people. By taking over the shipping industry, you effectively control close to everything in a country like this."

Sakura was wide eyed; _he actually paid attention?! I thought he slept through the studies? _

"You're quite right" Tazuna nodded in agreement "And the one thing Gatou fears is the completion of my bridge, which has been under construction for quite some time."

Sakura seemed to be thinking "I see… So you, as the one building the bridge, became an obstacle to him."

"Then those ninjas were sent by Gatou" Sasuke concluded

Kakashi turned back to look at Tazuna "But what I don't understand is this: He's a dangerous man that uses shinobi. Why did you hide that fact when you came to us?"

It wasn't him that answered, but Naruto "isn't it obvious Kakashi-sensei?" Kakashi looked questioning at Naruto "Gatou has taken over the economy of this place, so the people here can't have much money to begin with. And then add the fact that they are building the bridge, they have even less. I'm guessing they didn't have enough money to pay for a higher ranking mission. But if you ask me, Sandaime-jiji would probably have made a deal with you guys, though you wouldn't know that."

"You're right again. Nami no Kuni is a really poor country. Even the feudal lord doesn't have much money. We don't have the money to request for an expensive B-rank or above mission… If you quit your mission after I land, I'll be killed for sure while I go home…" He paused "But there's no need for you to blame yourselves. Only my cute eight year old grandson will cry and cry and cry some more." Naruto got a feeling he knew where this was going "And my daughter will hold a grudge against Konoha and its shinobi and live a lonely life." He paused again, looking around at the sweat dropped faces of the Konoha-nin "But it's not your fault."

Kakashi seemed to be thinking for a second "I guess it can't be helped then. We will continue to escort you."

"That's good to hear."

It hadn't been much longer after that conversation before they had seen shore. Now they were walking down one of the many paths in Nami no Kuni to Tazuna's home. Team 7 was on guard, now that they knew what they were up knew that Gatou probably would send stronger shinobi next time.

They were walking cautiously down one of the many roads in Wave. They were surrounding Tazuna, Kakashi taking the rear, Naruto taking the front, and Sasuke and Sakura taking the flanks. Suddenly Naruto conjured a couple of shuriken, and threw them into some bushes. The rest of the team stopped in their tracks, holding their kunai in defensive positions.

They kept their guard up. Then Naruto blinked a few times "Sorry, I thought I heard something over there."

"You're such a dobe" Sasuke said, putting his kunai down his kunai-holder again.

Kakashi nodded at Naruto before heading over to the moved it away, finding a dead white-furred bunny. Kakashi frowned That's a snow rabbit. But what's with the color of its fur? They only have white fur during winter, when the days are short. He looked around the tree-line, trying to spot anyone close by. That means it is a rabbit that was raised inside a place where the sun isn't a factor, highly likely for the Kawarimi no jutsu. He kept looking around, not going unnoticed by Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke had been shown up by Naruto more than he liked in the past few days. They readied themselves.

Kakashi spotted a sliver of silver in the corner of his eye. "Everyone, get down!" A big butcher-like sword were flying through the air, heading towards were Tazuna was standing. Naruto took action first, grabbing Tazuna's sleeve, and ducked, forcing the old man with him. Sasuke wasn't far behind, grabbing Sakura's wrist. The sword flew over their heads by mere centimeters, before hitting and embedding itself in a tree behind them. A man appeared on the handle of the sword.

"Sharingan no Kakashi. I see. Shinobi on the level of the Demon Brothers couldn't have handled you." The man looked over the Konoha-nin. Kakashi stepped forward. "That may very well be, but it wasn't me who took them down. It was my team" Kakashi looked the man over.

Sasuke meanwhile reacted on the Sharingan part. _'Kakashi-sensei has the Sharingan? But I thought only members of my clan had it'_ he frowned, then smiled a bit, as much as Sasuke can smile anyway, _'I guess I can learn a thing or two from him after all.'_

"Momochi Zabuza, also known as the Demon of the Hidden Mist. Current status: missing-nin. Forced into hiding after an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Yondaime Mizukage" Kakashi looked back at his team. "Team, stay back. You'll only get in the way"

Sasuke scoffed at that "Why? We took the Demon Brothers down pretty easy!" now it was Naruto's turn to scoff. Sasuke turned towards him "Do you have something to say?"

"Yeah, the Demon Brothers must've hit your head pretty hard. The Demon Brothers were high genin to low chunin level. Momochi Zabuza, on the other hand, is at low to mid ANBU level; we wouldn't stand a chance. The only one on our team who has a chance is Kakashi-sensei, and the best teamwork we can offer him right now, is stay out of his way" Naruto was so glad he had talked the old Hokage into giving him one of the bingo books. He had memorized it, so he would know when to fight and when to run. Sasuke just scoffed. Kakashi nodded approvingly back at Naruto.

"Now, we can do this in one of two ways. One: you simply hand over the old man, and I let you go without a scratch" Zabuza's voice sounded. Then he smirked, jumping down from his spot on the sword, taking it with him down "Or two: you refuse, and I kill you all before you can count to five" he finished, getting in to his battle-stance.

Kakashi looked seriously at Zabuza. _'If he is our enemy'_ Kakashi moved his hand up towards his hitai-ate, pulling it up slightly _'I can't afford to hold back'_ he pushed the hitai-ate the rest of the way up, exposing his left eye: The Sharingan. He turned his face slightly, to see his team out of the corner of his eye "everyone, from the swastika formation. Protect Tazuna-san" the three Genin were fast, taking the position: Tazuna in the middle, with the three Genin standing around, Sakura and Sasuke having regular kunai up in front of them, and Naruto having a crystal version.

"Oh, I'm honored. I get to see the famous Sharingan right of the bat. This will be interesting" he continued while a thick mist was forming "but let's cut the chit-chat now". He vanished in a blur of speed, before reappearing on top of a lake. The three Genin were surprised and impressed by the speed, but it quickly turned into fear. They realized they didn't have chance, what so ever, against him.

Zabuza stood with half the ram sign in front of his chest, while his other arm was pointing up. The water under him started to make small waves, while water particles swirled around him. _'He's putting a lot of chakra into the water'_ Kakashi noticed. He brought up his kunai, ready to charge. He didn't make it before Zabuza casted his jutsu. "_**Kirigakure no Jutsu**_" the mist peaked; Team 7 couldn't see three feet in front of them.

The Genin couldn't see Kakashi anymore, and tightened up their stance. "Eight points" it sounded from everywhere and nowhere. "The larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular vein, collarbone, kidney, and the heart. Eight points I need to strike once, and you're dead" the Genin shuddered "Now, how do you wish to die?"

Kakashi, also hearing this, summoned a bunch of chakra, making a small shockwave, effectively pushing away the mist just around him and his team. Sasuke was frozen in fear _'what an intense thirst for blood! One breathing motion, or one eye movement will be detected, and it'll get me killed… What an atmosphere! If I stay here much longer, I'll go insane!'_Sasuke started trembling now. "Sasuke" Kakashi's voice sounded.

"Don't worry. I'll protect the three of you with my life. I won't let anyone on my team die" he said with an eye-smile.

"I wonder about that, Kakashi" Zabuza's voice sounded again, right before he appeared in between the three Genin. Kakashi reacted fast, charging at Zabuza, pushing him back. Zabuza was wide eyed-

"The fight begins now" Kakashi said, slashing at Zabuza with impressive speed. The missing-nin simply jumped back, dodging the slash. Before he had landed, Kakashi brought up three more kunai, casting them towards Zabuza. He dodged one, but the others hit their marks, on dead-center in the forehead, and two in the chest. Zabuza was standing still, before beginning to leak water.

That's when another figure appeared behind with a slashing motion. "Sensei, watch out! Behind you!" Sakura yelled, but too late. Kakashi was cut in half. The time seemed to slow down for the Genin, before what they had thought to be Kakashi to burst into water. Zabuza looked wide eyed. _'He copied my jutsu!? I didn't even see him make the hand signs!'_

Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, holding up a Kunai close to his throat. Zabuza sliced his sword towards Kakashi, who quickly blocked with his kunai. He hadn't expected the force though, and was forced out on the lake. Zabuza was close behind, standing a couple of meters away facing his opponent.

"I must say, you live up to your nickname, Copy Ninja Kakashi. I am impressed; and I'm not easily impressed" Zabuza voiced. "But now we're in my element" he started making hand signs. Kakashi did the same signs at the exact same moment. When they were through with the signs, both of them yelled "_**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu**_" two great dragons shaped out of water morphed out of the waters, heading for the other. They collided with great force that caused a shockwave. The two Jounin guarded themselves.

Zabuza looked in shock at his opponent _'how did he do that? He didn't simply copy my jutsu; he used it the exact same time! Could he be…?'_

"Reading my mind?" it came from Kakashi.

Zabuza looked even more shocked than more, but quickly reined it in. "I don't know what you did, but it ends here".

Zabuza charged again, closing in, forcing the two shinobi to use Taijutsu. Zabuza sliced at his opponent, but Kakashi blocked with his kunai. Zabuza frowned, putting more force into it. He won the struggle, forcing Kakashi underwater.

Kakashi quickly swam to the surface again. _'What the matter with this water? It's so heavy!'_ He thought while climbing up on the surface again. Zabuza grinned at that "I'm afraid you've fallen into my trap Kakashi". He appeared behind the half submerged Kakashi and went through some hand signs again "_**Suiro no Jutsu**_". Kakashi looked back at Zabuza who were standing with a hand extended towards him. _'Shit!'_

The water quickly formed a sphere around him and Zabuza's hand. _'I thought I could use the water as cover, but it turned out to be a mistake on my part'_ Kakashi thought, while trying to think of a way to get out of the water-prison. Zabuza laughed "I told you this was my element. You give me a hard time when you're moving, but now that won't be a problem." He looked over at Tazuna and team 7 "Now then, Kakashi, I'm going to finish you off later. First, I'm going to get rid of them". He made a hand sign "_Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_" a water clone appeared.

Back at Tazuna Team 7 was starring wide-eyed in fear. Kakashi had been captured! They were all trying to figure a way out of this mess. They knew they couldn't handle an ANBU level ninja. Their only chance was to find a way to release Kakashi from the water prison.

Naruto leaned towards Sasuke "Try do distract him, I have a plan that may work". Sasuke stared back at his teammate for a moment, before nodding.

Sasuke faced the water clone again. He began casting a barrage of kunai and shuriken, but to no avail. The clone simply dodged and blocked them. Sasuke summoned a fuma shuriken, casting it, hoping it would buy him just a bit of time, and then went through the hand signs for his clans' Katon jutsu. He took a deep breath and breathed out a large fireball "_Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu_". The clone was surprised that a Genin could use such an advanced jutsu, but again dodged it with ease. Sasuke was starting to pant slightly; the jutsu had taken a good portion of his chakra, and he hadn't recovered fully from the encounter with the Demon Brothers- "Dobe, I hope you're done soon. I can't hold him off much longer."

Naruto nodded "Hai, just give me a few more seconds Teme" he needed a lot of chakra for this jutsu. While he had monster reserves, it wasn't easy to summon a huge amount at once. "There" he made hand seals "_**Shoton: Kessho Gokakuro**_" the ground under the clone, and the water under Kakashi's water prison glowed brightly pink, before they were encased in crystal. Naruto concentrated and made the ram seal "**funsai**!" the clone shattered into a thousand pieces, and so did the prison, leaving Kakashi free, who jumped back to get clear of Zabuza's range. He was impressed with Naruto; he guessed it wasn't easy to crystallize some, but not all, of something like his water prison.

Zabuza was shocked. He looked over at the blond Genin, who were looking intensely back at him. He turned to Kakashi and asked a simple question "How?"

Kakashi looked at Zabuza, and quickly glanced over at Shino, before making eye-contact again "The blond Genin on team. He posses Shoton"

A look of surprise spread across Zabuza's face '_Shoton!? I haven't even heard about it before now…'_ he looked at Naruto again.

Kakashi then turned serious once again "But now, this really must end".

Zabuza began making hand signs, Kakashi following. Just before Zabuza was done, Kakashi cried **"**_**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu**_**!"** Zabuza was wide eyed _'This time he didn't do it at the same time as me. He did it before me!'_ Water began encircling around Kakashi, before shooting towards Zabuza. There was too much to be able to dodge. He was slammed away by the great mass of water.

It slammed him through multiple trees, before pinning him to one. Before he could look around, three kunai flew towards him, impaling him in different spots. Kakashi jumped and stood on a branch of the tree, while the water resided. Zabuza was panting heavily now. The water had really roughed him up. He looked down on the ground "Can you… Can you see the future?" he asked Kakashi.

Said person looked down at him "Yeah. And I tell you what I can see." He brought up another kunai "You're going to die". He jumped down, and was just about to strike, when his senses told him to jump away. He did so, only to see three senbon needles hitting Zabuza in the neck. His eyes rolled back in the head, and his body fell to the ground lifeless.

Kakashi and team 7 were stunned. They looked back to where the senbon needles had come from. They saw boy, not much older than themselves, standing. He has a mask over his face "It was true. He did die".

Kakashi jumped over to where Zabuza's apparent body was, checking for any life signs. He didn't find any "he really_ is_ dead". He looked back at boy who had killed his opponent.

The boy bowed slightly "thank you very much. I was looking for a chance to kill Zabuza".

"That mask… If I remember correctly, you must be a hunter-nin from Kirigakure" Kakashi said.

The boy stood up straight again "You are well informed, Sharingan Kakashi". He paused for a moment before continuing "yes, I am a member of the pursuing shinobi unit that hunts missing-nin. Kakashi looked analyzing on the hunter-nin _'judging from his height and voice, he must not be that older than Sasuke and the others. Yet, he is a hunter-nin.'_ He looked over him again _'he's no ordinary kid.'_

The hunter-nin shunshined over to Zabuza's corpse, taking its arm across his neck, effectively carrying it "Your battle ends here for now. I must go dispose of this corpse. It's a body filled with secrets. If you'll excuse me" he finished, then shunshined away.

Kakashi, looking at where the hunter-nin had been, pushed down his hitai-ate, covering his Sharingan again. He turned towards his team and Tazuna "Our mission hasn't ended yet. We need to escort Tazuna-san to his house" the Genin nodded. Tazuna grinned "Sorry about that, everyone! Just rest at my house!" the shinobi just sweat dropped at Tazuna's carefree attitude. _'No more than two minutes ago was he close to dying, and there he is standing grinning'_ Sasuke thought. He sighed deeply.

"Ok, let's go everyone!" Kakashi said, stating to head down the road. He hadn't gone more than a few steps, when he collapsed.

His team was besides him quickly with Sakura examining him "he looks ok. I can't be sure though". She turned towards Tazuna "How long is there to your house?"

Tazuna looked down on Kakashi "It's just up the road. Shouldn't be more than half an hour away by now" Sakura nodded at that.

**Kirigakure – Village hidden in the Mist:** One of the five major shinobi villages.

**Shoton: Suisho no Hashira – Crystal Release: Crystal Pillar**: The user summons a big pink crystal pillar, which can shoot himself or opponents high up in the air. It can be attached or unattached to the ground. The size of the pillar is depending on the user's chakra and control.

**Kessho Purizumu – Crystal Prism:** A jutsu that has a variety of uses. This technique allows the user to focus chakra into the ground and three triangular walls of crystal shot up out of the ground and enclose around the target. The prism is large enough to enclose two or three average sized people if they are close together. The user can use it as a method of defense against assault from any angle or attempt to use the crystal walls to seal and trap any enemies inside the prism, making it a handy trick to trap any escaping ninja. Despite the red walls appearing glass thin, this jutsu is very resilient against Ninjutsu attacks, and it takes a lot of physical force to break through.

**Shoton: Baningu Kosoku – Crystal Release: Burning Restraints:** The user converts his chakra intro crystal, which forms chains. The chains can be loosed or tightened at the will of the user.

**Sharingan - Literally meaning "Copy Wheel Eye" or "Mirror Wheel Eye":** is a dojutsu Kekkai Genkai, which appears in some members of the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan is also called "_Heaven's Eye_" because of the many abilities it grants the user.

**Kirigakure no Jutsu – Hiding in Mist Technique:** This displacement technique is a specialty of the ninja from Kirigakure, where one causes a mist to spring forth by lifting up some water from either a pre-existing source or expelled from their mouth,[2] then goes in and out of sight at will from within the pearly-white realm. The mist's thickness is controlled by the amount of chakra kneaded into it.

**Suiton: Suiryudan no Jutsu – Water Release: Water Dragon Bullet Technique:** This technique shapes a large amount of water into a giant, powerful dragon, which hits the opponent with formidable might, dealing physical damage. The ideal place to use it is near a body of water, but if the user's skill allows it, it is possible to use it even in a place where there is none. The amount of water used will be in proportion with the user's skill.

**Suiro no Jutsu – Water Prison Technique:** This technique is used to trap a victim inside a virtually inescapable sphere of water. The only downside to this technique is that the user must keep at least one arm inside the sphere at all times in order for the victim to remain imprisoned. This technique requires a sufficient amount of water, which can be provided by expelling it from one's mouth. Despite the fact that the prison is made up entirely out of water, it is stronger than steel. Once trapped the target is unable to move while within it due to the heaviness of the water. Because of the density of the water it can be used, to a limited extent, for defensive purposes if performed on oneself. It can also be stored in scrolls as traps.

**Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – Water Clone Technique:** The Water Clone Technique is similar to the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu except it creates clones out of water that have one-tenth of the original person's power. Like other solid clone techniques, the clones can be used to perform tasks the user is unable or unwilling to do for themselves. The range of the clone is limited however, as it cannot travel very far from the original body without losing control. Like other clone techniques, if the water clones are injured enough they will revert back to normal water.

**Shoton: Kessho Gokakuro – Crystal Release: Crystal Pentagonal Prison:** The user completely encases her opponents in crystal. When the crystal is shattered, the bodies of the victims disintegrate along with the crystal particles.

**Funsai – Shatter.**

**Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu – Water Release: Great Waterfall Technique:** This technique extends water over a large scale, surges and rises up to several dozen meters high. Then it streams down to the ground in one big cascade, much like a gigantic waterfall. In doing so, it resembles a huge wave, with tremendous power that can hollow out the ground. What remains after that technique's utilization is reminiscent of no less than the aftermath of a natural disaster. This is a considerably advanced Ninjutsu, and activating this technique requires a fair amount of chakra.


	5. A week in Nami making lucky charms

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto

**Chapter 5:** A week in Nami making lucky charms

* * *

**- At Tazuna's home -**

Kakashi's visible eye fluttered open. He was looking up at a wooden ceiling '_I used the Sharingan too much… At least we beat Zabuza'_

"Oi sensei, you're awake" Kakashi rolled his head and looked over at his blond Genin. "I'll tell the boss" Naruto said before puffing away in smoke. Kakashi raised his eyebrow '_He was a shadow clone… so that's how he's done it'_

It didn't take long before he could hear footsteps out in the hallway along with "dobe, how can you know he's awake? You have been with us all along" from what sounded like Sasuke.

"Just trust me on this one teme" Naruto said

"Naruto-Baka! Stop calling Sasuke things like that!" it came from Sakura.

Then the door slit open "See, I told you he was awake" the blond Genin said with a big smile.

Sakura rolled her eyes and made her way over to where Kakashi was laying "It's good to see you're awake again" she paused while she sat down beside him "Sharingan really is amazing, but it puts a lot of strain on the body. I'm not sure if it's good or bad"

"No" Naruto said while making his way to the other side of the futon "it's because it isn't Kakashi-sensei's Sharingan. Only the members of the Uchiha clan can get it. I'm guessing you had it transplanted, and by what I saw, it was when you were quite young." The other looked at him like he was crazy. While they had slowly started to accept that Naruto actually knew stuff, it was still surprising that he could estimate when Kakashi had his eye transplanted, just by looking at it once. It had also caught Sasuke's attention, since it was his Kekkai Genkai the subject was one. Naruto continued "Normally the Sharingan, or the Byakugan for that matter, doesn't take that much chakra or do so much strain on the body, but I'm guessing because it _isn't_ a part of his body, it takes much more. People with Kekkai Genkai are normally born with bodies adapted to it, as the Uchiha clan, who hasn't the biggest chakra reserves, but very precise chakra control. This is so they can control the flow in and out of their eyes more precisely, and better control their Sharingan."

Kakashi nodded affirmative on what Naruto said "he is right. It does strain my body much more, than it would on any Uchiha. By the way, how long have I been out?"

While Naruto had talked, Tazuna and Tsunami, Tazuna's daughter, had made his way in "You shouldn't worry about your brats. They carried you here about two hours ago." Tazuna paused "And at least you beat that creepy Kiri shinobi. Or the masked kid did anyway."

Sakura turned back to Kakashi "Ano sensei… Who are the hunter-nin's?"

Kakashi laid down and closed his eye to rest. To say the Sharingan had strained his body was a great understatement. Sakura was almost beginning to think, that he wouldn't answer, when he spoke up "The hunter-nin's are a special department from the village's ANBU. They are also known as the fire extinguishing unit, and their job is to erase any evidence that a shinobi was alive. A shinobi's body will give away the secret of their jutsu, if said shinobi had a special chakra type, and any specific medicine that was used on the body, along with various other things…" he paused and opened his eye to look around on the audience. "For example, if I died, the secrets of the Sharingan would be examined… Or if Naruto died, his Shoton would be studied, and possibly copied." He looked at Naruto when he said his name.

Naruto got shivers up his spine '_It's kinda creepy and disgusting that another village would examine my body from top to toe, just to find out about my Shoton.'_

"In other words" Kakashi continued "hunter-nin's will kill missing-nin's who have abandoned their village, and dispose of the shinobi's body, to keep the village's secrets in the village." He looked over the people in the room. They were all nodding understandingly. That is, all except Naruto, who was frowning "What is it Naruto?"

"Sensei, isn't senbon needles an odd choice of weapon for a hunter-nin? I mean, they a small and precise, but it's pretty hard to kill anyone, unless you hit exactly on some specific nerves."

Now Kakashi was frowning too "Yes, that is odd…"

"And then" Naruto continued "there's also the fact that the boy took the body with him. If a hunter-nin is supposed to erase all evidence of a shinobi, why would they take the body with them? Wouldn't it just be easier to do it where the body is? It could be because we were there, but… It just seems like something is adding up"

"You're right. All he had to bring back as proof was Zabuza's head" Kakashi said.

Sasuke, who had been silent until now, thought about everything they had been told. '_Nothing adds up. Why did the hunter-nin use senbon needles, when it's so hard to kill with, and why did he take the body, if all he needed was to take the head and burn the rest to crisps?'_ Sasuke kept thinking over what he had been told, trying to see 'Underneath the Underneath'. That's when his eyes widened "No. It can't be."

"What? What are u people talking about?" Tazuna asked, not a little bit irritated.

"Father! I'm sure they will get to it" Tsunami scolded

Kakashi looked lazily at the two civilians "Zabuza isn't dead; he is in fact very much alive"

"WHAT!?" the two civilians and the pink-haired Kunoichi were all but stunned. "What do you mean sensei? You yourself confirmed that he was dead! As in 'not alive'" Sakura screeched

Kakashi looked at Sakura "It's right, I did confirm it"

"Then how? How is he alive?" she asked

"Senbon needles" Naruto said, with a look that said 'Why didn't I think of that before?' All eyes were on him now "It's because he used senbon needles. As I said, you need to be very precise when you want to make a kill with them. You have to hit the right nerves to kill, but there's also nerves that put you into a stasis which makes you appear dead. You're literally put in a near-death state until someone pulls the needles out."

"Hunter-nin's studies the structure of the human body to the extreme, many times more than the average medic" the Cyclops Jounin said "That's needed to make the kill fast and precise, and to be able to dispose of all the parts. It would be easy for them to put a person into a near-death state". He breathed deeply "I think it's safe to assume that the hunter-nin wasn't who he said he was. First, he took home the apparent corpse of Zabuza, even when it was obvious that the body was much heavier than him. Second, he used a weapon that has a low fatality rate. From these two points, it's clear that the goal of that boy wasn't to kill Zabuza, but to help him."

"Excuse me Kakashi-san, but maybe you're over thinking this a bit?" Tsunami said with a doubting look on her face

"You're quite right. I am over thinking this. But that's a shinobi's job; to look underneath the underneath. The shinobi world is filled with lies and deceptions, so you need to think of every possible result, and expect the worst. It keeps you alive. It's one of things the academy students learns first, it's the iron rule of the shinobi."

Sakura looked a little worried "Sensei, how are we supposed to prepare for this? It doesn't really look like you will be able to move for a while. And couldn't Zabuza drop in at any moment?"

Kakashi shook his head "No he won't. To be in a near-death state like he was, he won't be able to move completely for about a week. And by then I should be able to move too."

Sakura nodded "still, you we still have to prepare, and how are we going to do that, when you're cooped up in here?"

"How? Even if I can't move around too much, I can still train you. For the next week we're going to get you three prepared by training. I can probably take on Zabuza again, but you will need to keep his little friend off my hands. He can't be much older than you, but he is already that talented. We can't underestimate him."

"Wait! You can't expect us to take on another shinobi of that caliber!? We just graduated from the Academy! How are we supposed to beat another shinobi?"

"Sakura, who was it that took down the Demon Brothers? And who helped me get free when I was trapped?" she glanced over at her teammates "That's right. And don't forget yourself. You may not have fought, but you stood your guard to protect our charge. You three are growing at a rapid rate. If I train you for a week, you should have more than a chance of beating that kid."

"There's no way you can beat them" it came from a gloomy voice in the doorway. They all turned around to see a little boy, not much older than seven or eight years old "You will just die".

"Inari! Where have you been? I've missed you so much!" a loving voice sounded. Team 7 looked around, before they were shocked to find out it came from Tazuna.

Inari ran over to his grandfather and hugging him "You're home ji-chan! I've missed you too"

"Inari, say help to them. They have escorted your grandpa all the way from Konoha, and they will be staying with us until the bridge have been build" Tsunami scolded.

Inari looked at the foreign shinobi "Kaa-chan, they're all going to die. There's no way anyone can stand up to Gatou and live." This caused glare's from Sakura and Naruto '_Pft, how dare he. He doesn't even know what we're capable off'_ Naruto glanced at Tazuna '_I guess it runs in the family'_ he thought, remembering how Tazuna had reacted first time he saw them. Inari started to walk away "If you don't want to die, you should go home. No one can stop Gatou". And with that said, he disappeared out the door.

Tazuna looked down the floor with a solemn look "I'm sorry for that". Team 7 was once again shocked. Not only had Tazuna spoken with love to the little brat that had insulted them, he was sad now. There was much more to Tazuna than they knew.

Kakashi waved with his hand "No problem. Now, Team, we will take today to rest from the journey. Tomorrow we will start the training"

* * *

**- Elsewhere in the middle of an unknown forest -**

The young fake hunter-nin was squatting beside Zabuza's body, slowly unfolding a leather roll with various medical tools. He turned to look at Zabuza, trying to find any damage that may have been done. Other than scratches here and there, the only problem right now was the long needles in his neck. He looked analyzing in the area where he had hit him with the needles "It seems I have to cut the clothes off his mouth first, and make him cough up the blood first".

He took a scissor-like tool from the scroll, and slowly closed in on the clothes. When his hand was no more than a few centimeters from the target, Zabuza's hand shot up and grabbed the fake hunter-nin's. "I can do that on my own, thank you very much" it came from Zabuza, as he slowly opened his eyes, and began to peel the clothes off.

"Oh" the boy said "You're already awake". He didn't sound surprised by a long shot

Zabuza grunted as he sat up "Geez, you're so rough" he said, as he began picking out the needles harshly.

This caused a gasp from the young boy, who frowned under the mask "I could say the same thing about you, Zabuza-san. If you keep picking those out like that, you're just going to damage a blood vessel. Then you're going to bleed out and die for real"

Zabuza didn't seem to care, as he continued to pick out the last of the needles. He sat silently for a second, before turning his gaze on the young boy "How long are you going to wear that fake mask? It's not needed here, so take it off Haku"

"Sorry, I forgot. It's been a while since I have needed to use this… "The boy said, beginning to lodge off the mask from his face." Though it did help pull off the act and fool the shinobi from Konoha. If I didn't intervene when I did, you would have been killed for sure" he finished. His mask was off. His face didn't look like a boy's face; the curves were very soft, and the skin fair. And his expression just shouted 'I couldn't hurt a fly if I wanted to', though Zabuza knew that it wasn't true.

"That may very well be, but you didn't need to attack my neck if you wanted to put me into a fake death. You're still that same wicked girl I picked up all those years ago"

Haku smiled "That may very well be true. But I couldn't help it; I didn't want to scar your beautiful body, Zabuza-san. Also, it's much easier to aim at the neck, since it has much less muscle tissue." Zabuza tried to stand up, but only made it halfway up before falling on his butt. Haku made her way over to help him "You won't be able to move for a week or so. But knowing you, that will not get in your way, Zabuza-san."

Zabuza sat still for a few more moments, catching his breath again "You're pure, clever and not tainted at all…" he paused for a moment, looking over at his student "That's what I like about you"

Haku blushed "well, I _am_ still a child…" she looked over the area, noticing that the fog was lifting. "The fog is lifting… We should probably make our way back" Zabuza nodded affirmative as Haku paused. She turned a concerned look at him "Will you be ok next time?"

Zabuza sighed "I really don't know. I know I could take the Sharingan on one on one, but they also have a Shoton user… We have no idea what he can do. He broke my clone and water-prison with only little preparation. Given, I hadn't pumped as much chakra into it as I normally would have, but still…" He looked at Haku's concerned face "I need you to train to take him on. I don't think he will be an easy opponent – not even for your Hyoton"

Haku nodded "Anything for you, Zabuza-san." She helped him up, and they started walking towards their hideout to recuperate.

* * *

**- Later that night -**

Tazuna, Tsunami and Team 7 had just eaten dinner, made by Tsunami. Inari hadn't come down. After he had said hello to his grandfather, he had been in his room 'watching the ocean' according to Tsunami.

Naruto leaned back and patted on his stomach "Ah! That was really something. Not as good as Ichiraku's ramen, but good nonetheless" he said with a pleased smile on his lips.

"Eh, thank you, I guess" Tsunami said

"You should" Sakura said, taking another bite of the fish "He rarely compares _anything_ to ramen, not to mention Ichiraku's ramen." While they had been a team, Sakura _had_ learned a thing or two about Naruto. He was a train-a-holic, he actually had a head on his shoulders, and he loved ramen. On more than one occasion had he called it 'Kami's gift to man'.

"I'm honored then" Tsunami said with a blush.

Naruto stretched his body and yawned loudly "Well, I think I'm going to hit the rack. See you all tomorrow" he said walking out the kitchen. He walked up the stairs and heading for his room when he heard something from Inari's room. Slowly he opened the door to a crack to see what was going on. Inside Inari was sitting in the window sill. He _was_ looking out at the ocean, but that was not all. As far as Naruto could see, he was holding a picture.

Then he heard sobs from Inari, who were pressing the picture frame further into his hug. "Tou-san" it came half-smothered from Inari. Naruto was looking with compassion '_I guess he lost his father. And I'll bet a year's supply of ramen that it was Gatou who took killed him'_. Naruto closed the door quietly, making sure Inari didn't hear him, and made his way to his room.

* * *

**- The next morning -**

The three Genin of Team 7 were standing in front of their sensei, which had climbed out of bed with crutches this morning. They were standing in a forest clearing not long from Tazuna's house. Tazuna had agreed to wait with continuing the bridge till the next day, so Kakashi could get his team started on the training regime.

Kakashi looked over his team. They were all looking back at him determinately, even Sakura. He took an extra look at her '_What has come over her? She normally just looks and adores Sasuke. Oh well, it can't be bad.'_ He coughed in his hand to clear his throat "Well then, let's get started. We're going to work on your chakra these next days"

Sasuke and Sakura looked disappointed, while Naruto looked indifferent. Sasuke was the first to speak "Chakra? We can already use chakra and form jutsu. Let's just get on with it"

"Yeah, I agree!" Sakura said. Naruto looked at her with an 'are you kidding me' look. She always agreed with Sasuke; she didn't have to voice it.

Kakashi shook his head "No. You may be able to _use_ chakra, but you have far from mastered it. Now, for today's exercise we're going to…" the Genin looked at him with high expatiations "climb trees".

And once again, Sakura and Sasuke were dumbstruck. This time it was Sakura who voiced her opinion "Climb trees? How are climbing trees going to help us with our chakra control? Or help us at all for that matter?"

"Like this" Naruto said going over to a tree, only stopping for a second to concentrate his chakra, before stepping onto the wood and beginning to walk vertically up the tree.

Kakashi nodded "That's right. I see you've already mastered it. Care to explain to your teammates what you're doing?" Sasuke were glaring at Naruto '_How much ahead of me have you come since the academy? What am I talking about; he isn't ahead of me. He just knows an exercise that I don't. He can't be ahead of me. He is a clan less loser, and I'm the heir to the strongest clan in Konoha. Yeah, that's right.'_

Naruto shrugged "It's pretty easy when you get the hang of it" he said walking up below a branch, and hanged with his head down, proving his point. "All you need to do is mold and concentrate your chakra below your feet, creating a suction effect to keep you on the surface you want to climb. But you really should watch out; if you build up too much chakra in your feet, it's just going to blast you off. And if you do the opposite, not building up enough, you won't get the suctions effect, and you will just fall off."

"Very good Naruto. As to why this is going to help you in the long run: Sakura, when you fight an opponent, what is one of the most basic skills a ninja uses?" Kakashi looked at the pink-head

"Erm, I guess Ninjutsu?" Sakura answered tentatively

"That's right. And what do you need to use Ninjutsu?" Kakashi continued

"Chakra" the girl answered, realization covering her face

"Right again. So by doing this exercise, your chakra control, and therefore your chakra utilization skills, will improve, and you will be able to use more Ninjutsu" the Jounin finished the explanation. He looked at the two grounded Genin to see if they had understood. Sasuke looked pissed, Kakashi thinking it was highly likely because of Naruto. Which caused him to look at said member of Team 7 and sweat dropped '_Now you're just showing off'_. Naruto was currently swinging back and forward, only connected to the tree by one foot. Kakashi cleared his throat, getting the attention "Meh, Naruto, mind coming down now?"

Naruto grinned, releasing the chakra in his foot, causing him to fall to the ground at high speed. Sakura gasped, but it really wasn't needed; Naruto simply flipped half way down, landing with a quiet 'thud' on the ground. "No problem" he said, still holding the same grin "So does that mean I can go on ahead with my own training?" Naruto hadn't had a chance to really train the last few days, for obvious reasons. He wanted to progress that water balloon exercise, and he also had to do practice some in his calligraphy. He had never thought that it would be a big part of his shinobi career to write, at least not until he became the Hokage, other than the mission reports here and there, and he never imagine to take it to such a high level. But if he wanted to get better at Fūinjutsu, he needed to learn to write fast and precise, else all his knowledge about seals would be for nothing. And maybe he could also get started on that water walking exercise. He had wanted to start on that for ages, who _wouldn't _want to walk on water?, but had waited till he was advanced enough in the tree-climbing. Finally when he was, they had gotten this mission, so he hadn't gotten started yet. And then there was the matter of keeping his training method a secret. Naruto gulped '_Sandaime-Jiji told me that he would have me get all the missions involving Tora until I took over the Hokage-hat myself, if I ever exposed it to someone not meant to see it.'_.

The silver-haired Jounin glanced over his blond student before shrugging "I guess it won't be a problem. But since you already know the three-climbing, and has mastered as far as I can see, I will assign you to guard duty tomorrow"

Naruto's eyes narrowed "You're just assigning me to guard duty so that you can stay in bed all day and read ero-sennin's perverted books, aren't you"

Kakashi waved his hand in a dismissive motion, laughing nervously "now, where would you have gotten that idea? Off to train you go" he finished, hoping that the prospect of training was more exciting than exposing him as a pervert for the rest of the team. Naruto stood still for a few more moments, before sighing in a defeated manner, and ran into the forest to find a clearing he could use for training.

As soon as Naruto was away, Kakashi turned to the remainder of his team, and started them on their training.

* * *

**- Next morning at the bridge -**

Naruto was sitting on the railing of the bridge, taking a break from his water balloon, was looking over the bridge. It had been a slow day really. Tazuna had told him to get up around 4am, as they were needed at the bridge at 5. Naruto, not wanting to miss out on any training, had made a clone with three quarters of his chakra, and sent it to the forest clearing he had trained in yesterday. It had chakra to about seventy clones, but he was only making thirty or so. The reason being that they were on a mission, where they could engage in battle against foreign shinobi at any moment, so it wouldn't do that he was totally exhausted if that happened.

They had been the first to arrive, with twenty or so workers slowly filing in as the time got closer and closer to 6am. As they were about to start, one of the workers had asked were the shinobi guarding them were, to which Tazuna had pointed on Naruto. This caused disgruntled looks from almost all the workers, and a one even had the nerve of calling him a short brat. Tazuna had smirked, since he had come to know Naruto just a little bid the past few days. And as he had though, Naruto had showed the worker what he could do, almost fully surrounding him with crystal, before three razor-sharp blades had shot out, and were inches from slicing him. This, of course, had closed the mouth of any and all the workers, who quickly went to work, not wanting to get on the bad side of their guard.

Naruto sighed. He was developing a little temper when it came to his height. He looked down beside him; there were broken water balloons. Not shattered at all, they were just punctured, but he was happy; it was progress. He had made the breakthrough yesterday when one of his clones had sat down and analyzed what they had seen Jiraiya do a couple of days earlier, and had realized that what they were doing looked completely different. That's when he had gotten the idea to swirl the water in more than one direction. It had been a success, but it was still damn hard.

"Oi gaki, are you bored or what?" Tazuna's voice sounded, bringing Naruto back to the bridge

"Huh? No, not really. I was just taking a break from my training" Naruto answered, leaning back with closed and enjoying the sun on his face.

Tazuna frowned "Training? You're just playing with water balloons"

Naruto chuckled internally. He had figured that the way Tazuna showed curiosity were by insulting. When talking to strangers anyway. Naruto shook his head to answer Tazuna, and made eye contact with him "It's a bit harder than that. I have to burst it open with nothing but my chakra. It's a lot harder than it looks you know"

"I don't kno-"

"May I have a word with you Tazuna?" a voice from behind them interrupted.

Both of them looked at the newcomer. Tazuna put down the little log he had been carrying "Sure thing Giichi. Is something wrong?"

"Well… I have thought a lot about it, and I think I'm going to quit building the bridge" Giichi said, looking down on the ground as if ashamed, not going unnoticed by Naruto.

"W-what!? Not you too Giichi… Why the sudden change of mind?" Tazuna asked surprised, and a little outraged

"Tazuna, I have known you for a long time, and you have become a good friend. I want to help, but if I get much more involved in this, Gatou will after me when he's done with you. I have to think on the wife and the kids you know…" Giichi replied. Naruto could see that he was really split in this decision, but he had finally valued his family more. Naruto couldn't blame him; it was something Naruto longed after. He longed after getting a father and mother, or just knowing who they were. Naruto respected the man's decision. Tazuna didn't look that convinced. Giichi continued "I want to build the bridge and save Nami as much as the next islander, but everything will lose meaning if you die." Naruto cocked an eyebrow '_So he is also concerned for his old friend? I like that guy'_. Giichi almost looked pleadingly at Tazuna "Why don't we stop building the bridge?"

Naruto was, to say the least, chocked. He hadn't expected the man to suggest that, not after all he had learned Tazuna had done for it to be built, including lying his ass off to the Hokage, one of the mightiest persons on the elemental continents. Tazuna had regained his calm look, and answered just as calm "You know I can't do that. This bridge is _our_ bridge. Not just yours or mine, or the workers bridge, but the bridge of all the islanders of Nami no Kuni. This is the bridge, build on the hopes of the people, the hope that we can break free from Gatou's rule, that we can increase our distribution and transportation that will increase the wealth in this poor country. "

"But if we die…"

"If we die" Tazuna interrupted "people will know that Tazuna the bridge builder died for what he believed in. That he died in the hopes that someone would take over his work. That he died believing that Nami no Kuni _will_ break free from Gatou, if not by his own hands, then by the hands of his successor." He put a hand on his old friends shoulder "I can't ask you to do it, but I will continue to build this bridge until my dying breath. I don't blame you if you don't want to risk your family… You can go home if you want."

Giichi looked sad at his old friend, before giving up convincing him with a sigh. He took of his uniform and the tools he had used, and gave it to Tazuna "I'm sorry old friend". And with that he left the bridge.

Tazuna stood there for a while, just staring at where his old friend had left. He didn't even hear the steps behind him, and only noticed the person when he took the uniform and tools of his hands. He turned around to see his blond guard putting on the uniform. He gave the kid a questioning look "I thought you said you shouldn't overwork yourself?"

Naruto grinned back at the old man "How can I sit still and _not_ help after you gave that speech. You have gotten a little more respect in my eyes, Ojisan - but only a little".

Tazuna grinned back at the kid. He had come to like him; he was lively and didn't give up. "Thanks kid, I'm sure it will help. I just hope there are no more workers who quit just now. We're almost done with the bridge, one and a half to two weeks more… But, just like Giichi, people won't risk their families."

"I guess" Naruto said, bringing up his hand to form a very familiar hand sign "I will have to help a bit more. _**Tajuu Kage Bushin no Jutsu**__!_" Twenty additional Naruto's appeared, effectively doubling the workforce at the bridge. It didn't take long for them to spread out on the bridge, and help where he could. His lively spirit also affected Tazuna, who only was that more, determined to finish the bridge.

* * *

**- Same afternoon at the market -**

Tazuna and Naruto were walking down the main street of the biggest town in the area. In all honesty, it didn't deserve the name town or road. It was a long dust trail, where shacks and cracked stone buildings stood along the sides. The people didn't look much better: they were all walking around very carefully, afraid that their life could be stolen at a seconds notice. They wore clothes, if you could call it that, which looked to be made up of sacks and mold infested cloth. The worst were the children; they were at every corner and store opening, begging to just get the tiniest attention and food. It reminded him of the year after he was kicked out of the orphanage, before he had gotten the apartment he was living in now. He shuttered a bit "What is the meaning of this?"

Tazuna didn't have to look to know what he was talking about "Nami no Kuni have been like this since Gatou took over…"

"That man can't be anyone but the devil" Naruto said angrily "I will definitely he-". Naruto was interrupted when he felt hands go through his ninja bag. Whoever did it had chosen the absolute worst time to do it. Naruto swirled around to see a middle aged man. As soon as he caught a glimpse of Naruto's eye, he was scared out of his pants, and tried to run away. But Naruto was angry and he had to take it out on somebody. He grabbed the shirt of the man "You do NOT steal from me! Thief!" and threw the man down the street, where he continued skirting, before he was stopped abruptly by a brick wall. Naruto scoffed and continued after Tazuna, who had walked into a store to look for ingredients for tonight's meal.

He wasn't happy with what he saw. It was the same as the street and the town; the shelves where close to empty, with only a few foodstuff scattered here and there. And they didn't look fresh, quite the opposite. Naruto sighed and became only more determined to see that this country was set free from Gatou, and that said man was burned in the deepest pits of hell for what he had done.

He continued after Tazuna, who continued out of the store after paying overprizes on the scarcely collected wares. They hadn't walked more than a few meters before Naruto felt tucking in his bag again. '_Not again!'_ he thought as he swirled around, planning to chew out whoever was stupid enough to try and steal from him. He stopped in his tracks as he saw who was standing in front of him: a little girl who couldn't have been more than eight years old. "Please, give me" she said, holding her hands out. Naruto blinked a couple of times, before going through his bag and found a few pieces of candy. The girl's eyes lit up with joy.

She was just about to run off when Naruto stopped her with a smile, squatting down to her level "Hey, what is your name"

The girl blushed slightly "Amaya"

Naruto kept smiling "Hey Amaya. My name is Naruto. Want to see something cool?" he asked, which in response got a tentatively nod. He closed his hand together, activating his Shoton powers, making it glow slightly out of the cracks. When he opened it a miniature figure of a puppy was standing on his hands. The girl went wide-eyed. Naruto just kept smiling and handed the figurine to the girl "here, you take it. It's a lucky charm. As long as you have it, good things will happen to you. Just believe in it"

She reached out and took the dog, inspecting it all over. She looked back at the blond with tears in her eyes. She bowed deeply "Arigato Naruto-Niisan!" she cried out, before hugging him deeply. Naruto was taken by surprise, but quickly returned the hug. When they were done she looked at him with big puppy eyes "Will you be back? So you can meet all my friends?"

"I'm sure I will. Just keep an eye out for me" Naruto said with his kind smile on the lips. She nodded, and ran into the crowd, surely to find a show her friends her new toy.

"That was very kind of you" Tazuna noted

"Yeah… They remind me of myself when I was little" Naruto responded, before starting to head out of the town. It peaked Tazuna curiosity, but he could see he wouldn't get more of an answer for now.

* * *

**- Evening at Tazuna's house -**

When Sasuke and Sakura came back to Tazuna's house that evening, they looked extremely exhausted. Naruto raised an eyebrow '_It seems Sakura is actually trying. I'm glad she actually listened to me'_. Naruto smirked at Sasuke "Worked hard, eh teme?"

Sasuke scoffed at him, not having the strength to come with a longer answer.

Sakura was just about to come to the defense of her beloved Sasuke-kun, when Tsunami's voice sounded from the living room "Dinner is ready! Come and eat!"

The Konoha Genin didn't need any more to be said, as they ran as fast as their bodies could carry them to the dinner table. It wasn't a gourmet meal, but it was not bad either at all. They all took their places, broke off the eating chops "itadakimasu!" and began eating like wolves, Sakura eating like a fine wolf.

After dinner when they had some tea, Sakura was looking around the kitchen and found a picture hanging on the wall. It showed Inari, Tsunami and Tazuna, and one other person it seemed like. But he was ripped out of it. "Ano, why are you hanging a torn picture?" it brought all the attention of all the shinobi to the mentioned picture. "Inari-kun was watching this during the dinner the entire time. This torn part looks like someone intentionally tore away the person who was there" she continued. It silenced the whole room.

Finally Tsunami, who was doing the dishes, spoke up "It's my husband". The shinobi waited for her to continue, not satisfied with the answer, but she didn't.

Tazuna spoke up "He was the man known as the hero of this town".

He didn't get to say more before Inari left his seat, walking towards the door. "Inari, where are you going?" Tsunami asked, but he had already left.

She walked after him, and when she opened the door, she turned around looking at Tazuna "Father, I told you not to talk about him in front of Inari!" she said a little harshly, before she to exited the door.

Tazuna sighed deeply. Team 7 was watching him closely. He looked around on them all "Inari had a father he wasn't related to. They were very close, like a real father and son. They _were_ a real father and son".

He looked back up at the picture, seeing a laughing Inari in the middle. "Inari used to laugh a lot back then. But…" Tazuna began to sob lightly, shocking the shinobi. They had the impression of Tazuna of man who didn't really show any vulnerable feelings. Well, everyone but Naruto who had learned some about their client on the bridge. Tazuna bit his cries back "He changed after what happened to his father. His name was Kaiza."

Tazuna paused again "The word "courage" was forever taken away from the people of this island and Inari after that day". Tazuna went on about explaining how Inari and Kaiza had met. How he had taught him about living his life so he didn't regret a thing. He then went about telling them how a big storm had hit the island, breaking the dam, and how Kaiza had saved them all.

Then his voice turned into venom, as he spoke of how Gatou had taken over the island, and how Kaiza didn't want to back down. How he was executed in front of the whole town to set an example and that after that day, Inari was changed. He didn't believe in heroes and courage. He was depressed and cried alone in his room.

After he finished, the whole room was quiet. Team 7 had troubled looks on their faces.

"How horrible…" it came quiet from Sakura. The others nodded in agreement.

Tazuna then looked up at them all with a determined look in his eyes "And that's why I want to build that bridge. For the people of wave, for Kaiza and for Inari. I want to break us free from the rule of Gatou. I want Inari to be happy again".

That determination was also brought up in the shinobi. "And we will help you achieve it. We won't let Gatou lay a hand on you. Count on it!" Naruto declared.

Sasuke smirked "You count on it. I'm not going to be outdone by you, dobe"

"Hai, we can't let the people of wave suffer anymore" Sakura said.

Kakashi took a look on the clock "Guys, I think it's about time to hit the racks. We still have to train you guys hard the next few days to get you ready. You don't want to let Tazuna down, do you?" None of the Genin did, and quickly made their way to bed.

The next few days didn't go very different. Kakashi came and helped guard Tazuna, and in the meantime had handed over a jutsu scroll on _Fūton: Reppusho._ He had said it would work well with his Rokkaku Shuriken, and Naruto wasn't one to deny his sensei. Naruto was also making progress on the water balloon exercise, now progressed to the rubber ball exercise. It had taken time to finish the first part of the exercise, only finally completing it when Kakashi had said he had spun it against his natural flow. After that, it had gone easy. But this next step took so much more power, that he hadn't even punctured the ball.

Sakura and Sasuke were also progressing, both now able to walk up and down the tree without faltering, and just starting to learn to stay still on the surface. It was going slowly but surely.

As for the bridge? It had gone faster with Naruto's clones helping, but more and more workers had quit, and only seven of them remained now, most of them already having lost their families to Gatou. They didn't have anything to lose.

Naruto had also been back to see Amaya and her friends, telling them stories, and of course, making more 'pretty lucky charms' as they called them. Naruto was starting to grow attached to the children, especially when they all called him 'Naruto-Niisan'. It was at least _one_ thing he was going to miss in Nami.

* * *

**- At Tazuna's house, two evenings before Zabuza's return -**

When they came back that evening, the Genin were rather battered up, even Naruto who had been working hard on the rubber ball, and were delighted when they saw another homemade meal was waiting for them. They ate as much as they could to recharge their energy, so they could give it all the next day.

Tazuna stopped eating and looked up at Kakashi "The Bridge is almost complete. It's thanks to you guys".

Tsunami looked up from her meal "But don't push yourself so much." The Genin just smiled.

Tazuna continued "I wanted to ask this before, but why are you still here even when I lied about the request details?"

Kakashi folded his hands and closed his eyes. "_Not doing right when you know it is right is a coward's way. There are no weak soldiers under a valiant commander._ They're the teachings of the Yondaime Hokage, our previous Hokage."

That's when Inari spoke up "why…" it caught all the Genin attention. Inari stood up, and slammed his hand down in the table "Why are you trying so hard to end up dead? You can't bear Gatou's men, even if you train! No matter how hard you try and say those good-looking words… Weak people are going to lose against strong people!"

Naruto glared at that "Shut up. You don't know the first thing about us!" That silenced Inari who were on the verge of tears.

"Here you are, living a relatively good life! You have mother that loves and cooks for you, and a grandfather who tries to save this country. And what do you do? You cry, and mope about how bad it is! You don't realize how good you have it compared to other people! Have you seen how the children in the town live? And for that matter, you don't know what it's like to be hated in your own village for something that is out of your control. You don't know what it's like to be beaten and kicked out of shops and forced to go through the garbage for food. You think your life is bad fine, but don't just sit around and moan about it do something about it fight back, don't be a coward!"

Naruto rose from the table and headed for the door. Sakura went on alert there "Naruto! Where are you going?"

"Out to train" Naruto all but mumbled. And with that Naruto stormed out the front door with tears in his eyes. Inari stormed out the other side of the house, out the backdoor.

The civilians and the Genin of Team 7 were shocked of what Naruto had said. "Kakashi-sensei, Naruto's life couldn't have been that bad right? He has to be lying to get attention" Sakura asked.

Kakashi shook his head "No. Everything he said was true. Naruto was kicked out of the orphanage when he was 4 years old, and was forced to living on the streets for 6 months before some ANBU found him and took him to the Hokage. The Hokage gave Naruto an apartment, but he has had to learn everything for himself, and was constantly being beaten and kicked out of stores. And that's the down watered version" he said, shocking everyone in the room. Tazuna looked down on his half empty plate '_So that's what he meant by that they reminded him of himself as a child. It seems to me that they got a good life compared to what he had to live through…'_

* * *

**- Later that night at the docks outside the house -**

Inari was sitting on the edge of the docks, looking out over the ocean. He could see the bridge his grandfather was trying to build. He heard footsteps behind him, but didn't bother to see who it was.

"May I join you?" a male voice sounded. Inari guessed it was the Konoha Jounin who had arrived a few days earlier. He shrugged.

Kakashi walked over to Inari and sat beside him "Naruto didn't say those things out of spite, you know." Inari didn't react, but he continued anyway. "He is just stubborn" still no reaction. He looked over the ocean "We heard about your father from Tazuna-san. Naruto is the same as you in that way, he didn't have a father when he was young. To be truthful, he doesn't know what it feels like to have parents. He also didn't have a single friend growing up." That caught Inari's attention. He looked up on the young Jounin as he continued "However, I have never seen him grow timid, get sulky, or cry. He has always been desperate to make people recognize him." He now looked down on Inari with what Inari could only guess was a smile on his lips "And he's able to put his life on the line for that dream. He's probably bored of crying by now."

That got Inari thinking, remembering what his father was like. "That's why he knows the true meaning of being strong. Just like your father. Naruto might be the one who understand you the most. What Naruto said to you before… Those are probably the words he's been telling himself over and over again."

Kakashi rose from where he had sat. "If anything, just don't hold a grudge against him. He wasn't trying to be mean" and with that said, he went back to the house leaving Inari to think about what he had heard.

* * *

**- The following morning in the forest -**

"Are you ok? Hello? Are you there?"

Naruto's eyes slammed open, surprising the person who had tried to wake him up. Quickly reacting he jumped up into his Taijutsu stance, but relaxed upon seeing that it was an ordinary teenage girl looking at him. He looked around him, finding himself in the same clearing they had been training in the last few days _I must have fallen asleep out here_.

Haku took a better look at the now obvious ninja in front of her. She noticed his Konoha Hitai-ate _He was with Sharingan Kakashi the other day. He must be the one with Shoton…_ She didn't show her worry, but simply smiled at him "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you."

Naruto smiled back at her "Ah, no problem. I didn't mean to jump like that; reflexes you know."

She nodded at that "Is that hitai-ate real? Are you a real shinobi?" she asked, completing her act as an unknowing civilian

He grinned back at that, pushing his chest up "Yes! I am a shinobi of Konoha! I will protect her with my life" The girl giggled at the way Naruto was acting. Naruto looked at her again "By the way, what are you doing out here so early?"

"Picking herbs" she answered nicely, as she turned away, resuming looking through the plants on the ground.

"Herbs?" Naruto asked.

She turned her head and smiled at him "That's right. It's to cure injuries and illness. One of my friends has gotten hurt, so I'm out here looking for herbs to cure him."

"I can help you. I still have some time before I have to be back to breakfast" he said, helping her going through the plants. He had gotten a bit of knowledge of herbs from his reading, but it really hadn't been anything he had read up on.

They picked through the plants for a while, then the girl spoke up again "By the way, what are _you_ doing out here so early?"

He threw her one of his big smiles "Training!"

"And why are you training?"

"I want to become stronger!"

"But you look strong enough already"

"No, I want to become stronger and stronger."

She was silent for a time, resuming picking through the forest-floor. "Are you doing it for someone else..? Or for yourself?"

"Well… I think when I just graduated I was doing it for myself. But then Iruka-sensei acknowledged me. And so did Kakashi-sensei, and Sakura-chan, and… I guess Sasuke-teme did too" he paused. "I think now I'm doing it just as much for them, as I'm doing it for myself."

She looked up at him "That's good. I believe a person is able to become truly strong, when they wish to protect someone they cherish."

Naruto got a thoughtful look in his eyes. "I think you're right. I understand that."

She nodded at him. She took her basket, now filled with herbs. "Thank you… I think you will become strong". She began walking out of the clearing "By the way, I'm a boy" she said, walking away, leaving Naruto stunned _but he is beautiful! She can't be a boy._

"You're lying" he said before he could stop himself.

"I…. I…" she stammered. She sighed "Yes I am…"

"Why would you lie about something like that?"

"Because of Gatou. His men aren't always… polite"

Naruto was disgusted by that "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone"

She smiled back at him "Goodbye". _I really hope I don't have to fight you when the time comes._

* * *

**Hyoton – Frost Release:** The Kekkai Genkai of the Yuki Clan

**Fūton: Reppusho – Wind Release: Gale Palm:** A simple technique that when the users hands are clapped together, wind is compressed and transformed into a powerful gale. This technique, when used as an isolated attack has the power to easily knock over a human. Though the true value comes from using it together with projectile weapons like shuriken or kunai. Their speed, power, and ability to wound or even kill are all increased several times.


	6. Battle on the Bridge! Shoton Vs Hyoton

**Chapter 6: Battle of the Bridge! Shoton vs. Hyoton!**

Naruto yawned loudly and stretched his arms above his head. He scratched his eyes and looked around in the room. Sasuke and Sakura were still asleep. It didn't come to a surprise, as the whole week he had woken before them. He was used to get up early to train, and to get through the village as early as possible when fewer people were on the streets. He shook the thoughts from his head and sneaked out of the room, heading for the bathroom.

While he was doing his business, he took a look out of the window; he could see the first rays of the sun touch the horizon in the distance. One thing he loved and hated about Nami no Kuni was the flat land and ocean. You could see for miles and miles without anything disturbing your view; he loved that he could see the sunrise so early, since in Konoha you would have to wait at least a few hours for the sun to raise above the small mountains and the forest of Hi no Kuni. But then again, he hated it _because_ you could see so long. One part of being shinobi is hiding in the shadows, and being from Konoha where the forest is everywhere, he almost felt exposed. He breathed in deeply, and went on to brushing his teeth. He looked at his reflection in the little mirror hanging on the wall and took a deep breath. '_So, it's today huh?'_ he asked no one in particular '_Today is probably the day Zabuza will return, and it's highly likely that he will have that fake hunter-nin with him… I have no chance of defeating Zabuza, so I must keep his companion occupied. I _have_ to protect my friends! But… it stills scares me. Today I am going to fight another shinobi. I may have to kill…' _Naruto turned on the water and splashed water in his face '_I am doing it for my comrades. If I have to kill, then I will do it to save them, I will do it for them, so they can live.'_

When Naruto was done, he made his way down to the kitchen. He was surprised to see Tsunami already up and cooking. He glanced at the clock, and as he thought, it was 6.13a.m. He sat down at the table "Good morning Tsunami-san".

Tsunami almost jumped two feet in the air and spun around with a knife in her hand. Her stance relaxed as she saw who it was "Oh, it's just you Naruto-kun. Sorry for that, but I didn't expect anyone up yet".

Naruto smiled awkwardly while scratching the back of his head "Sorry about that. Normally I'm out training in the morning, but since today is… Since it's possible I might be needed today, I'm not going."

Tsunami smiled at him and resumed cooking. Naruto walked over to the sink and took a glass of water and walked out to the pier to sit and watch the sunrise. He couldn't see much more because of the thick morning fog in the distance. That was one of the reasons they didn't go the bridge earlier. Zabuza could by himself already summon up a lot of fog, so they didn't even want to try him out when he had the natural occurring fog on his side too.

"Oh Naruto, are you already up?" Kakashi's voice came from behind him.

He glanced over his shoulder to see the silver haired Jounin reading his book. "Yeah, couldn't sleep anymore. I have woken up this early for as long as I can remember. Now it's training, before it was… to get away before the village awoke"

Kakashi walked over beside Naruto and squad down beside him "I haven't really seen you around since the evening before yesterday. When I left for the bridge yesterday you hadn't come back"

"Sorry about that" Naruto said, still looking out over the ocean "I needed time to think"

"And now?"

"Still thinking… Kaka-sensei. Do you know why he chose me?"

Kakashi knew what Naruto was asking. Why had the Yondaime chosen him over so many other children? '_I can't exactly say "Don't worry Naruto, it was because he was your farther". It's not my place to reveal it'._ He pondered for a few more seconds "Naruto, you bear a burden not many others can understand or even start to comprehend. You have been through much that no child should have been through. But you have survived. I believe the Yondaime chose you for a reason that he believes in you. You are the Yondaime's legacy. And you live up to his name. As far as I know, you haven't let him down so far, have you? You still keep that beast under control"

Naruto nodded. It wasn't yet the final answer, but it would suffice for now. Kakashi rose from beside Naruto "Well, let's get inside. Wouldn't be any good if you got sick"

Naruto scoffed "Kaka-sensei, I have never been sick. Sure, I have had broken bones and so on, but I have never been sick, and I'm sure you know why". Nonetheless Naruto got up and got inside.

**- Three hours later -**

Kakashi looked up from his book and around on the people around the table. Sasuke and Sakura had gotten down to the kitchen about an hour ago, and Tazuna and Inari came down about twenty minutes ago. There hadn't been much talk; everyone knew what was likely to happen today. He closed his book and cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention "We all know what is going to happen today, but we haven't really talked about how to execute this. We of course need people around you Tazuna-san, but we also need to protect your family, namely you, Inari-san and Tsunami-san. Since you can't go to the bridge for obvious reasons, we need to leave someone behind to take guard you"

Tazuna and his family had rather worried looks on their faces, but relaxed some when they saw the determined expressions of Team 7, especially that of Naruto. He looked straight back at Kakashi '_I have to make this mission a success. This isn't about my first mission being a success anymore, it's about freeing the people of Nami no Kuni, freeing Tazuna and his family, and freeing Amaya and her friends. I can't fail all of them'_. Naruto pondered about what Kakashi had said before speaking up "Kaka-sensei, I think I got an idea. I should stay behind to guard Tsunami-san and Inari"

Tazuna nodded satisfied. He knew that if Naruto was guarding his family, they were in safe hands. The blond brad had earned his respect from Tazuna. Kakashi raised an eyebrow "I see. What makes you come to that conclusion?"

"Well, I was thinking that I would stay here with them, and send a _Kage Bushin_ with you guys. That way we have a way of communicating with each other; I can keep you updated if anything is to happen here, and you can call for me if it should come to that"

"Wait, what?" All looks turned to Sasuke "Dobe, how are we supposed to keep contact with just a _Kage Bunshin_?"

The blond Genin smirked at his comrade "That's easy. When a _Kage Bunshin_ is dispelled, no matter the way it is dispelled, the knowledge it has gained will return to the user and any other clones the user should have made. So if I want to send a message to you guys, I just make a clone and make it dispel. The same if my clone wants to send a message to me, it can either make another clone or dispel it, or it can dispel itself. And if it comes to it getting dispelled by getting destroyed, then I'll also know."

Before Sasuke could answer, it was Kakashi who spoke up "Very well Naruto, it's a plan I can accept. So Sasuke, Sakura and I, with a _Kage Bunshin_ of Naruto, will guard Tazuna-san on the bridge, while Naruto will stay here and guard Tsunami-san and Inari-san. If anything happens on the bridge or here, we will let the respective part know by sending a message through the _Kage Bunshin_." Team 7 nodded showing they understood. "Good then, we leave in fifteen minutes, so you better get ready. We should get to the bridge around 10a.m." Sasuke and Sakura rose from the table and went upstairs to get their gear ready, while Tazuna seemed to speed up eating.

Naruto sat at the kitchen table reading his book on Fūinjutsu, Tsunami was currently washing the dishes from the breakfast, and Inari was sitting beside Naruto looking really bored. Kakashi, Sakura and Sasuke had left with Tazuna some half hour ago, so they should be at the bridge in ten to fifteen minutes. Naruto didn't let it show, but he was actually worried about them. He would have liked to have gone with them to the bridge, but this was the best way for them to keep contact. And if it came to it, he could be at the bridge in ten minutes. The only reason it was taking so long with the rest of his team, was because they had to go at a civilian pace. If they were going at a normal pace, well normal for a Genin team, they could probably be in Konoha in a day, instead of the four days it takes at civilian pace.

He was brought out of his attention when Inari spoke "Say, Naruto-nii chan, how again can you know if anyone is coming?"

Naruto didn't know when Inari had started calling him 'nii chan', but he liked it, the same with the kids in town. He looked up from his book "It's rather simple really. You heard what I said about _Kage Bunshin_ at breakfast, right?" Inari nodded "Good, by the way, please keep it a secret. It's one of Konoha's Kinjutsu's. While none of the other villages can copy it, they can take precaution if they know some of its secrets."

"Sure thing. I won't tell anybody" Inari said smiling.

Naruto ruffled the boy's hair, much too said boy's dismay. Naruto laughed lightly at that "Good then. Anyway, back on topic, I have placed about twenty clones around the house, hidden of course, so if they see anyone who shouldn't be here, they dispel and I will know."

"That's so cool!" Inari exclaimed. Naruto nodded at him before getting back to reading. He heard a sigh from Inari "Can't you do something else? You know, it's rather boring just to wait around. And it's not like I can go outside and play!"

Naruto smiled again. He remembered himself being that impatient, and wanting stuff to happen all the time "Okay then Inari, what do yo-". He stopped midsentence when he got a feedback from one of his clones around the house. Two objects was moving towards the house at a fast pace. The clone hadn't gotten a good look at them.

"Nii chan, what's the matter?" Inari asked a little worried. Tsunami had also seen this, and had stopped doing the dishes.

"Both of you go upstairs and hide." They looked at him without moving "Now!" Naruto said with a voice that said they left no room for argument. Tsunami went over to Inari, took him by the hand, and headed upstairs to hide.

When they had disappeared up the stairs, Naruto sat down again and took his book up. It didn't take long for the two figures to make it to the house and burst in through the door.

"Hey, where the hell are they!?" one voice asked rather loudly

"How should I know? Oi, there's kid here. I bet you know where they are, eh?"

Naruto finally looked up from his book, taking the two young men in. There were two, as he had known. One of them had a blue sweat-like shirt, wore a hood, and had tattoos and his eyes. The other had a bare chest. His right arm had a tattoo going up from his arm to the middle of his chest, and he wore an eye patch on his right eye. Above his left he had a scar. They both wore katanas. Just from looking by the way they were standing he could tell they weren't shinobi, they were simple thugs hired to do the easy work

"Do you two mind? I'm trying to read here" Naruto said, trying to get them to lose their cool. It worked.

"What the hell!? Who do you think you are brat!?" the one wearing a hood yelled

"Calm down! Can't you see he is trying to get you to lose your cool? You're quite an idiot you know" the bare-chested said.

"What did you say? I'm not-"

"Let's just get this over with. Kid, where is the woman and the child?" the bare-chested asked looking at Naruto. He got a sweat drop when he saw Naruto had gone back to reading, apparently not giving them any attention at all. "Hey brat! I asked you something"

Naruto sighed deeply "As you said, let's just get this over with". Naruto got up and got into his stance, creating two crystal tanto in the process.

The two thugs hesitated a bit after seeing their opponent creating crystal out of nothing. It didn't last long as the bare-chested charged head first with his companion right after him. Naruto didn't go out of his academy stance, and he easily dodged the first punch from the bare-chested. As soon as he had squatted the other came with a kick which he simply blocked. This was child play compared to the training he had undergone. He grabbed the leg in front of him and quickly twisted it, making the hood wearing thug spin and fall. The bare-chested saw this as an opportunity and clapped his hands together in a fist and brought them hard down on Naruto's head. Instead of the crack he was expecting to hear, he heard nothing. Naruto had grabbed his right wrist, and wasn't letting go. Naruto looked with a smirk at his opponent, as he tightened and twisted his grip, resulting in a nauseous crack. Naruto's opponent cried out in pain, and retracted his hand as soon as Naruto let go.

The hood wearing thug got up, and together with his companion, they stepped a few steps back, looking at the blond brat in front of them, who had fended them off without breaking a sweat. Naruto got up from his squat, and simply dusted his pants off "Now, I think we have played long enough". Behind the two thugs, a vase and a chair transformed into two more Naruto's, who quickly thickened their crystal armor in their hands and hit the thugs in their heads. They went out as soon as they had been hit. Naruto shook his head with a smile '_Did Gatou really think he could kidnap Tazuna's family with thugs? He should know about us'_. He nodded to his two clones, making them dispel, effectively passing what had happened here to his clone on the bridge.

He tied the two thugs up and went upstairs to find Tsunami and Inari hiding in a closet. Tsunami looked worried at him "Is it safe?"

Naruto showed her a reassuring smile "Yeah it's safe. Gatou only send two thugs. As if they could take a shinobi down"

Inari grinned "of course! No one can take you down Naruto-nii chan"

"Now that isn't true" Naruto laughed "There's lot of-". Naruto stopped as he got feedback from a clone. It was the one he had send with the rest of his team. They were in trouble.

_Sakura-Chan…_

**- A few minutes earlier with remainder of Team 7 -**

Meanwhile Kakashi's group had made their way to the bridge. They couldn't believe the sight that met them; every worker were lying either dead or dying.

Tazuna stared in disbelief "W-what is this!?" he looked over the workers "What's wrong? What happened?"

Kakashi was showing no sign of emotion as he looked over the bridge '_Just as we thought. He has returned'._ Mist began to fill the bridge, confirming what he thought. "Team, he's coming! Protect Tazuna-san!" They all quickly took their positions, going into defensive poses.

"Kakashi-sensei, this is his _Kirigakure no Jutsu_, isn't it?" Sakura asked, but got no answer. They were all waiting for Zabuza to show himself.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi. And you're still carrying those kids" Zabuza voice sounded, as Sasuke began to tremble- "He's shaking again, how pitiful" Zabuza mocked. Within a second of that remark, the group was surrounded by seven water clones.

Sasuke smirked "I'm shaking with excitement".

Naruto's Kage Bunshin sighed "It's just like you to play the cool act. Let's go Sasuke." One of the Water Clones was about to swipe with his sword when Naruto and Sasuke went for it. With a blur of speed, they ran around to the different clones and swiped them with their kunai. A second later they all burst into water. As soon as they were done the clone got the information from the clones at the house. He didn't take his eyes off Zabuza as he spoke to his team "Gatou send two thugs to kidnap Tsunami and Inari as we thought he would. Boss took care of them rather easily, and they're safe now. He plans on taking them somewhere else, probably to Giichi's house or something."

Kakashi nodded "I think it would be best for you to dispel and tell Naruto to hurry and come here. I have a feeling we're going to need him." Naruto's clone nodded and dispelled.

From across the bridge Zabuza raised his eyebrow "So he was a clone? Haku, watch out, he can come from anywhere and at any time. I know you have trained a lot this week for this fight against his Shoton, but don't let your guard down. It only takes one slip to give the enemy the upper hand"

"Of course Zabuza-san" Haku said with an emotionless voice. Nothing like what he normally talked like.

Kakashi looked over his team. "Sakura, get close and protect Tazuna, Sasuke you will have to keep Zabuza's 'friend' occupied. I will take care of Zabuza." The group immediately got into the different positions they were given.

Zabuza saw the opposing group getting ready "I don't think we have more time for chit-chat. Haku you got first"

"Hai" she said, as she began spinning around making her way to the Konoha shinobi. Sasuke looked in awe at the speed of his opponent as he brought up his kunai. She was aiming for one of the nerves in his chest, when he blocked. Zabuza saw it and raised his eyebrow '_oh? He was able to catch up to her speed.'_

The two shinobi looked each other over, trying to estimate the others strength. Their kunai clashed again and again, neither being able to get through the others guard. Haku spun around fast, trying to get some more force into his strike, but Sasuke just did the same, getting the same result. They stopped, trying to overpower the other, rather than compete in speed. Then Haku spoke "I don't want to kill you, but you won't back off, right?"

Sasuke smirked at his opponent "What? Are you stupid?"

"As I thought… But you won't be able to keep up with me for my next move" she said, keeping up the power struggle. "And I'm already two steps ahead of you".

"Really? And which steps would that be?" Sasuke asked with a smirk and a raised eyebrow

"The first one is the water on the ground" Haku said, keeping her voice even

"And the second?" Sasuke asked

"And the second one" she continued "is that I'm keeping one of your arms busy. Therefore, you can only take and black my attacks."

While keeping Sasuke's arm busy, she brought up her other hand, starting to go through one-handed seals. Sasuke's eyes widened '_what!? He's creating seals with one hand…?'_ He could only stand there and do nothing. If he tried to back off, then his opponent would stab him down. If he stayed, he would most likely get hit by whatever technique Haku was casting. He was trapped.

Haku stopped at a half ram-seal "_**Sensatsu Suishō**_" she said stomping with one foot in the ground. All the water around them flew into the air, forming a dome like shape around the two. As soon as the dome was shaped, the water started forming into needles, covering every escape route. Sasuke gulped '_So this is it? I'm going to end like this? Without even having a chance to catch up at Itachi?_'

The people around the two fighters could only look by. Kakashi was, to say it mildly, surprised '_One-handed seals? I've only ever seen that in veterans! And it's not something you can learn; you either can or can't do it. And the latter is the most common. That boy really is something. I have to do something!'_ With that thought Kakashi charged towards the two, aiming to get Sasuke out of the needle dome. He was, however, stopped midway by a Zabuza slashing with his decapitation sword, and was forced to dodge it unless he wanted to lose a head.

Zabuza shook his head laughing lightly, causing chills down Sakura's back "Now now Kakashi, it wouldn't be nice to interrupt someone's fighting, would it now?"

Kakashi looked frustrated at Zabuza, and thereafter Sasuke '_Come on Naruto. We need you…'_

Sasuke looked around the dome, trying to find a way to escape the come, but all escape routes were blocked. He glanced over the shoulder to see if Kakashi could help him, only to see him in a showdown against Kakashi. He turned his vision back on his opponent. The water needles began flying towards the two, and Haku jumped back to avoid getting hit. The sound of the needles hitting their target sounded as the place they had fought was covered up in vapor. Haku didn't move out of her defensive position as it was slowly was blown away by the light ocean breeze. What she saw surprised her. Sasuke was inside a prism made up of thin red crystal. She narrowed her eyes '_So he has shown up. This is what I have trained for the last week. The other two won't be a problem, but the Shoton user. Now where is he?'_ Her question was answered as she heard a voice behind her.

"_**Kessho **__**Purizumu**_" it came from Naruto who looked a little winded. He looked over the field; Haku was standing a few meters from Sasuke, who was now inside his crystal prism, Kakashi and Zabuza were standing in front of each other a couple of meter from Sasuke, not looking like they had started yet, and finally Sakura was standing guard in front of Tazuna all the way back on the bridge.

Haku rose from her crouch without turning towards Naruto "so you have finally decided to show up?"

Naruto jumped over to Sasuke, releasing his prism in the process. Sasuke looked up at his blond teammate and nodded appreciating. Naruto, seeing that Sasuke was ok, stood up and faced Haku "Sorry if I kept you waiting. I had to take care of the thugs your boss hired to kidnap Tazuna's family. Did he really think he could kidnap them with thugs? Surely you have told him about us."

Haku didn't answer but began going through seals, causing Naruto to go into defensive stance. Haku finished and stomped in the ground again "_**Sensatsu**__**Suishō**_". Water again rose from the ground, before forming into needles and shoot towards the two boys. Haku was shocked when all the needles stopped only a few meters from Naruto who was standing with a hand raised towards the needles. Slowly at first, but going faster and faster, the needles crystallized with Naruto as center.

Naruto smirked "Jutsu like that isn't going to work on me". As he talked the needles combined and started forming the **Rokkaku** **shuriken**. With a flick of a finger they flew towards Haku who could only parry and dodge. Naruto was impressed that she didn't get hit once. "Impressive" he nodded approvingly.

Haku was watching him through her mask '_He can crystallize my Suiton… But how does he fare against a material that's already a crystal?'_ She began going through another set of seals "_**Hyoton**__: __**Senbon **__**no **__**Hari**__!_'

Naruto was shocked to see the water around his opponent froze over before breaking into pieces and forming senbon. He didn't let it show as he looked at his opponent "I see… You have a Kekkai Genkai too. But seriously, what's with the needles?" He didn't get an answer as the ice senbon fired towards him. He planned to crystallize them, but was surprised at how hard it was. They got closer and closer, and he had only crystallized a little over a tenth of them. They were too close for comfort as he realized he couldn't crystallize them all before they hit. He looked over his shoulder to see Sasuke up and about again. "Sasuke, he has a Kekkai Genkai, go and protect Tazuna-Ojisan and I will take care of this!" Naruto said as they began to dodge all the needles. There were too many and they got scratches here and there.

Sasuke glared at his teammate "no way. I'm Uchiha elite; no way a clan less dobe can do better than me."

"Sasuke, remove that pole from your ass! Maybe if you had your Sharingan yet you could do it, but you don't! So let the 'clan less dobe' handle it! I should be able to keep him busy with my Shoton." As they spoke the mist began to thicken "Crap, Kaka-sensei and Zabuza must have started their fight." They could hear their teacher and Zabuza clash here and there. Naruto took a look at Sasuke; he didn't look like he was going to Tazuna. He sighed dejectedly "Fine stay, but don't get in the way!"

Sasuke was still glaring at Naruto, but resigned "Fine"

Naruto turned towards Haku "Now, shall we?"

"You're not going to give up either, are you?" Haku asked from his position

Naruto shook his head "Sorry, no can do. Wouldn't look good on paper that my first higher ranking mission was a failure" '_And I can't let all these people down'_

"I didn't think so. _**Hyoton**__: __**Senbon **__**no **__**Hari**__!_" she said again, forming the ice needles.

Naruto knew he couldn't crystallize them, so he had to block them. He quickly went through the right seals "_**Kessho**__: __**Rokkaku **__**Shuriken**__: __**Ranbu**__!_" The ice senbon and crystal shuriken clashed midair, causing several hundred clangs to travel over the bridge. None of the two wanted to give in, and kept throwing projectiles at the other. At last they could see that neither of them would win like this, and Naruto stopped only to dodge the last few senbon from Haku by jumping to the side. They looked at each other, trying to determine what the other was going to do, both standing in their respective poses. Finally Haku made two more ice senbon and charged. Naruto made his crystal tanto's and charged as well.

Sasuke looked from the sideline and marveled at the speed and power. It was clear to him that Haku had held back during their clash, and that Naruto never really showed his true powers. It was true that it had been a few weeks since they had fought Kakashi in the bell test, but no one could get that much stronger that fast… could they? Sasuke got angry. He could still remember the dead last in their class. Where did he go? Where the hell did this Naruto come from? Shoton couldn't be the only answer. He wanted to show that he could fight too, but he could tell just by looking at Haku and Naruto that he was no match for either of them. Sure, he could probably get a hit in here and there, but in the end he would lose.

Naruto dodged another swipe from Haku's ice senbon, and tried to retaliate by slashing at her gut, but no luck. Haku brought her other senbon down and blocked. Betraying their size, the ice senbon was both strong and durable, surely because of the chakra it took to make them. '_It's probably because of all the chakra in them that I can't crystallize fast enough. I bet with a lot of training it wouldn't matter much to me, but as I am now it simply takes too much concentration'_ Naruto theorized as he ducked under a kick. He tried to grab it to twist it like he had done earlier, but no luck as Haku conjured up a few senbon and threw them at him, forcing him to jump back a few meters to avoid them. They looked at each other again, gaining their breath. They weren't winded or anything, but they knew that this fight would take some time. From what they could tell they were as strong as the other. This battle was only going to end when either the other slipped up, or by the one who had most stamina. They charged again.

**- With Kakashi and Zabuza -**

Kakashi was holding up his Kunai in a defensive stance. Zabuza was totally controlling this battle, no doubt about that. His Sharingan wasn't too much use as the fog was too thick. He was covered in small cuts here and there, the biggest being in his hand. Zabuza had stabbed him with a strange blade as soon as he had tried to uncover his Sharingan. After that Zabuza had disappeared into the mist, showing why he was called Demon of Kiri. His abilities with the silent killing method was frightening. The only reason he was still here was because of his Sharingan; he could dodge just enough for Zabuza to miss any of his vital areas. He was just hoping that Naruto and Sasuke were doing better. He could still hear sounds from another battle, so he was positive that they were still alive.

"Well well Kakashi, it looks like you don't look so good" it came from Zabuza in the mist

"You're worried about me Zabuza? That's cute. You don't have to, I'm more than ok" Kakashi said, hiding his worry.

"Really? I guess we will have to do something about that won't we?" Zabuza said finishing with an evil laugh. Kakashi tightened up his stance and awaited a new barrage of assaults.

**- With Naruto and Haku -**

Naruto forced Haku back with a barrage of slashes. Haku jumped back, throwing a few senbon in the process, and landed a few meters away. Naruto simply blocked the senbon. They were in a stare showdown again. None of them had gained any injuries after they had started their fight. Naruto had gotten a few scratches from the ice senbon at the start, but they were healed now, thanks to the old fuzz ball. After that he had activated his crystal armor. He looked over his opponent; she didn't have any scratches either. But Naruto knew he had gotten through her guard a couple of times. He took a closer look and saw cold air forming around her. Now it made sense "I see. So you also have an armor, just like my _**Kessho **__**no **__**Yoroi**_" Naruto said staying in his stance.

"Indeed I have. _**Kori no Yoroi **_encases me in a thin sheet of chakra-infused ice. It will block all edged attacks but the most powerful" Haku replied. Naruto nodded mentally to himself '_It's the same principles as my crystal armor. If we weren't enemies I'm sure we could learn a lot from each other. It does make sense though; ice is a crystal, a different crystal than my crystals, but a crystal none the less.'_ He paused and looked over at his opponent. He didn't know why, but he had an odd feeling that they had met before. Well, other than the brief encounter when his team had fought Zabuza the first time.

Haku began going through seals, she knew that they weren't getting anywhere with Taijutsu. She concentrated a lot of ice chakra and focused it in her longs before exhaling "_**Hyoton**__: __**Namida**__**Reito**__!_" A deep blue colored wind flew from her mouth and headed for Naruto.

Naruto saw this and knew he couldn't get hit. He quickly went through his own seals and stomped in the ground "_**Shoton**__: __**Kessho**__**no**__**Kabe**__!_" A thick crystal wall grew from the concrete of the bridge, defending Naruto from the blue wind. The wind hit hard and the wall was under strain, but it held. The wind split and went to either side of the wall and continued like that. Naruto seeing the attack was over shattered the wall. Everywhere the wind had hit a thick layer of ice were present on the ground. He took a look at his opponent; she didn't even look effected by using such a powerful attack. It was true he wouldn't either, but he had a demon inside him to help him with that.

Getting over it, Naruto decided to attack while he had the chance. He gathered a lot of Shoton chakra in his hand and slammed it into the bridge "_**Shoton**__: __**Omiwatari **__**no **__**Jutsu**__!_" Blue crystals shot up from the ground making their way towards Haku. The Kunoichi began jumping back to avoid the attack. She was taken aback by the speed of the attack.

She saw that she couldn't run from it and went through seals "_**Hyoton**__: __**Namida **__**Reito**__!_" She slammed her fists down on the bridge and her own spikes began to form. The two attacks moved closer and closer until Ice clashed with Crystal. The force the two attacks hit with was enough to tremble the big bridge. Naruto and Haku had to concentrate chakra at their feet to not lose their foothold.

"Enough. I guess I will have to use one of my strongest attacks" Naruto said and began going through a great deal of seals "_**Shoton**__: __**Hasho **__**Koryu**__!_" From the water behind him a great crystal dragon rose. It danced around the air as it awaited Naruto's command. It wasn't anything near as big as either Kakashi's of Zabuza's water dragons had been, but it was decent enough for a Genin or even a Chunin.

"I guess so" Haku said going through her own seals "_**Hyoton**__: __**Reito **__**Ryu**__!_" She cried as three ice dragons rose behind her. Naruto sweat dropped '_of course she also knows that kind of jutsu. Isn't there anything I can do to get the upper hand?'_ he thought as the two dragons began attacking, making crystal and ice showering down on Naruto and Haku.

**- With Kakashi and Zabuza -**

Kakashi looked worriedly in the direction of where all the battle sounds where coming. He was starting to get a little worried. It hadn't been nice sounds that had come from that direction, and a few moments ago the whole section of the bridge had trembled. And now he heard roars of big beast, and even through the thick mist he could see shadows clashing.

"It's some student you have Kakashi, to be able to stand up against Haku" Zabuza's voice sounded

Kakashi tried to determine the origin of the voice. "The feeling is mutual. Naruto is most likely the strongest Genin in Konoha. And if not, he is the strongest of his year" Kakashi replied while keeping his worry hidden. He couldn't afford to show any weakness now. He had come up with a strategy to get Zabuza. Now all he needed was to wait.

"I don't know about you, but I would like to see this fight, so let's finish this" Zabuza said, before appearing from the mist with his blade raised for a slash. Kakashi led it slash him slightly in the stomach, making blood splatter out on his opponent. Zabuza grinned before disappearing into the mist again.

"I agree Zabuza" Kakashi said keeping the pain back by sheer willpower "it's time we end this. The next jutsu will be the last". Kakashi brought out a scroll from his flak jacket, smeared blood on it, and began a ritual like process.

"Is that so? I can't wait to see what it-" he was interrupted when an ear shattering roar reverted through the mist, followed by what sounded like crystal shattering.

**- With Sasuke -**

Sasuke had tried his best to keep watching Haku and Naruto, but they were so fast. There were moments when he thought they had slowed down, but he brushed it off as his imagination. Finally he took Naruto's advice and made his way to Tazuna and Sakura. There was no way he could help Naruto. He could hear the roars of the dragons and the clashes they had, but ignored it as well as he could and continued.

Soon enough he was Sakura still standing the same place in front of Tazuna. Her face lit up with joy for a second, before it showed fear "Sasuke! What's wrong with your eyes?"

Sasuke looked dumbstruck "What do you mean? There's nothing wrong with them."

"But" Sakura said, not sure if she should tell 'her' Sasuke what's wrong "they're red!" Sasuke's eyes widened in excitement as he looked down in a puddle. And sure enough, his eyes were red with one tomoe in his left eye and two in his right eye. He had the Sharingan.

Before he could tell Sakura what had happened a shattering roar sounded from where Naruto and Haku was fighting followed by a crystal shattering sound. Sakura and Tazuna both looked worried in the direction it had come from. Tazuna was the first to speak "What the hell is happening? It sounds like they're tearing my bridge apart!" Sakura seemed to think the same

Sasuke looked away from the where Naruto and Haku was, and looked seriously at the two in front of him "It's Naruto"

Sakura was shocked. She had thought it was Kakashi and Zabuza. She looked away from Sasuke and looked in the direction Naruto was. He may be a Baka and annoying at times, but he was her teammate. She clutched her hands together '_Naruto… please be careful…'_

**- With Naruto and Haku -**

Naruto was standing a couple of meters from his opponent. They were both starting to pant. They had used a lot of chakra. Naruto still had about forty percent left. This had been a lot harder than he had thought.

Haku looked at her opponent through her mask '_I can't go on like this much longer. I have to use _it_'_. She began gathering what chakra she had "I'm sorry, but this can't go on much longer. I have to defeat you. There's no doubt about that you're strong for Genin, perhaps even a Chunin, but it ends here. No one has ever beaten my next jutsu Naruto-kun"

Naruto's eyes narrowed "How do you know my name. It isn't something I tell everyone" Naruto thought about it for a second '_well, not anyone not from the village'_. He took a real close look at his opponent, and his eyes widened in surprise as he recognized her "It's you! You from the forest!"

Haku stared through her mask for a few seconds, pondering if she should reveal herself. She sighed deeply and took of her mask "Yes."

Naruto stared in disbelief "But why? Why would you work for someone like Zabuza?"

Haku gave Naruto a friendly smile "He saved me. You know about Kiri and its civil war?" Naruto nodded. He remembered reading about it; most of the population had developed an irrational fear of the families with Kekkai Genkai after the second great shinobi war. They had all but hunted the clans with Kekkai Genkai. It struck Naruto where it hurt since he had a Kekkai Genkai. He remembered being really happy about living in Konoha; they loved their Kekkai Genkai. If you wanted convincing, just look at the Hyuuga clan, or the Uchiha clan. They were some of the most influential clans in Konoha - even the Uchiha _after_ being massacred.

Haku continued "My full name is Yuki Haku. My clan has the ability to control ice, or Hyoton as it's known as. We're not a very big clan, and we haven't supported any of the Mizukage there have been, and thus not participated in any of the wars. But that didn't matter. They went after us too. My mother changed her name. She married my father without telling him, and they had me." She paused to let it sink in "I was four when I first found out about my abilities. I showed my mom, I thought she would be so proud of me. But instead she hit me and told me to never do it again. But it was too late – my father had already found out. He gathered a mob and killed my mom in front of me. Then they went for me. I can't remember much after that. One thing I do remember was an ice spike that went through my father. I figured I killed him…"

Again she paused and looked over the ocean "I wandered for months through the roads of Kiri, no one cared enough to stop up and ask if I was ok. We were in a civil war, and one only looked out for one self. That was until Zabuza found me. He took me in, he cared for me, and he trained me. That was when his dream became my dream. I want to free Kiri. I want us to be one again." Naruto looked at her with pity as she looked over the ocean '_Why did we have to be enemies?_' She looked back at Naruto with a determined look "If you won't back down, I will have to make you."

She raised her hands in a seal Naruto had never seen "_**Makyō **__**Hyōshō**__!_" A blue aura began to emit from her. Naruto noticed it was the same color as the **_Hyoton: Namida Reito _**she had used earlier and readied himself. Around him ice began to shoot up from the ground, forming mirrors. Before he could do anything about it he was inside a dome of ice mirrors. There was twenty-one: Twelve remained at ground level, eight floated above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror was above the rest and facing the ground. Naruto heard steps and faced Haku who was slowly making her way to a mirror and stepped inside. Now she was in all twenty-one "You have lost now Naruto. There is nothing you can do but give up".

"I already told you that I can't do that" Naruto said determinately "Have you seen what people in this country live like? How children beg for food just to survive the day? I am fighting for all of them. You are fighting for Gatou, the one that caused this. So I _will_ win this, I _will_ defeat you, and I _will_ help free this nation from Gatou's grasp."

Haku looked a little sad "Very well then" she said as she raised her senbon "then you will die" and with that she threw needles from all the mirrors faster than you could see.

**- With Kakashi and Zabuza -**

Kakashi finished the ritual and slammed scroll into the ground. Zabuza laughed "No matter what you're doing it won-" he was cut short as he cried out in pain, and the mist lightened.

Kakashi walked over to Zabuza to find him impaled the ground by dogs, biting his arms legs and ribs. "You can't escape this. Now, release the jutsu!"

Zabuza tried to find a way out of the mess when he felt a cold chill and smirked at Kakashi "Sure. You want to see the demise of your student, won't you?" he said as he released it. The fog dispersed almost immediately. Kakashi was stunned to see a big dome of ice mirrors with Naruto in the middle. He didn't look like he had any injuries, but he looked exhausted, way more than Kakashi had ever seen him. And every now and then he was barraged with senbon needles. They bounced harmlessly off his crystal armor, but it wouldn't last forever. He was about to go to help him when Naruto looked him straight in the eye. He got the message and stayed where he was. He was just about to ask Zabuza when he answered "It's Haku's clan secret jutsu: _**Makyō **__**Hyōshō**__._ No one has ever escaped or defeated it. Even I would have trouble with it." Kakashi looked away from Zabuza and glanced over at Tazuna, thankful to see him unharmed, and saw Sasuke and Sakura guarding him. They all had worried look on their faces and they starred at Naruto in the dome.

**- With Naruto and Haku -**

Naruto had tried almost everything, but he couldn't break out of the dome. There was one more thing he could try, but it would leave him with almost no chakra, and it wasn't even sure to work. It was a new jutsu he had been working on, a last resort jutsu. He was brought out of his chain of thoughts when he was hit with another barrage of senbon. He looked at Haku. He wasn't in every mirror anymore; he was also low on chakra. '_Maybe, just maybe, it will work. She is also low on chakra…'_ Naruto thought '_Only one way to find out. But I must go through a lot of seals. I just hope my armor can hold the senbon off just for a little more time'_. With that thought Naruto began going through a lot of seals. Haku saw this '_What is he trying to do? I can't let him do it. I have to stop him'_ and she began bombarding him with senbon needles. Slowly but surely his armor began to crack. Naruto speed up the seals as his armor began cracking more and more. Just as it Haku was about to throw the senbon that would have destroyed his armor, Naruto finished his preparation and gathered his remaining chakra. Everyone present looked in awe as a small pink ball began to form in above Naruto's chest.

Naruto squinted in concentration before crying "_**Shoton**__: __**Kessho **__**Jundo**__!_" The small ball expanded and encased the whole dome before dispersing. First nothing happened, but then with Naruto as center, everything the blast wave had touched crystallized. Within a few seconds the section of the bridge was fully crystal, even the mirrors. Haku had just enough time to jump out of the mirrors after using the last of her chakra trying to prevent them from breaking. As soon as she was out Naruto went through a few seals, effectively using the last of his chakra "_**Shoton**__: __**Baningu **__**Kosoku**_" and crystal chains separated from the crystallized ground and tied Haku up. With that done, Naruto shattered the mirrors and returned the bridge to normal. When he was done he was on one knee.

Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna were by his side fast. Tazuna grinned widely at him "Good job brat! That was some jutsu used there at last. I'm just glad you could return the bridge to normal"

Naruto grinned back at Tazuna as Sakura fuzzed over him to see if he was injured. But thanks for his crystal armor; which he couldn't hold up anymore, all he suffered was being low on chakra. They were about to walk over to Kakashi and Zabuza when someone clapped.

At the end of the unfinished bridge were standing Gatou and about fifty men "Zabuza you dog! I knew you couldn't do it! Well, good riddance. I wasn't planning on paying you anyway!"

Zabuza glared at Gatou "Kakashi, it seems our, erm, disagreement is over"

Kakashi didn't take his eyes of Gatou and his men "Yeah, it seems like it" he said and dispelled the dogs and freeing Zabuza. He nodded at Naruto who did the same to Haku. Kakashi looked over his team, Zabuza and Haku. The only ones capable of fighting right now was Sasuke and Sakura, and there was no way they could take fifty men down, no matter how strong the enemy were.

Gatou looked at two of the men beside him "Well, what are you waiting for? Kill Tazuna! Kill them all!"

One of the men he had spoken to "What about the pretty rosette over there?" he asked with a perverse grin

"You can have her, just kill the rest of them" Gatou responded

That seemed to excite the men "You got it boss!" the two went through seals, quickly making it obvious that they were shinobi "_**Suiton**__: __**Mizu **__**no **__**Dangan**__!_"

Multiple water projectiles formed as bullets quickly shot towards Tazuna and Sakura who was standing in front of him. Naruto's eyes widened. He tried using his Shoton, but he didn't have enough chakra. Before he knew it he was standing in front of Sakura with the worst pain he had ever had in his chest. He looked down and saw multiple holes. He looked at Kakashi who had wide eyes. Naruto coughed, causing blood to be spewed from his mouth. Faster than he could see more water bullets where shot towards him with such force it pushed him off the bridge and into the cold water below. The world began to blacken, and the last thing he heard was a female voice screaming his name. Tears brimming Sakura's eyes before realizing she was the one who screamed.

**- With Naruto -**

Naruto slowly opened his eyes. As soon as he did he shot up and bounced into defensive stance. He looked around and couldn't see where he was. The last thing he remembered was falling off the bridge. And now he was in a… sewer? '_No use of staying here_' he thought as he began making his way through the hall.

The longer he went the more an ominous feeling began to grow in his chest. At last he made to a room with a big cage at the end, the only thing seemingly keeping it shot was a piece of paper with the kanji for 'seal' on it. A deep rumble came from the cage **"So, you've finally come here"**

Naruto squinted his eyes to try and see what was in the cage "Who are you?"

**"Come closer and you'll see"** the voice sounded.

Naruto carefully took a few steps towards the cage, but jumped back when four enormous claws tried to hit him through the bars **"Gah! If it wasn't for this damn seal I would shred you where you stand!"**

Naruto quickly made two crystal tanto's "Kyuubi no Yoko" he stated.

Two red eyes opened in the cage as the Kyuubi stepped into view **"You're right I am. And I see you're using my gift well, **_**human**_**"** the Kyuubi said, saying the last part as it was venom.

Naruto didn't pay attention to it much "If you are the Kyuubi, then this must be inside my mind"

**"Very observant. Your predecessors weren't as clever the first time they came to face me"**

"Why am I here?" Naruto asked

**"You're dying"** the Kyuubi stated flatly, as if he was talking about the weather.

"I-I'M WHAT!?" Naruto asked disbelieving

**"Dying, as becoming dead, as not living"** Kyuubi said amused. He hadn't had this much fun since he had been sealed inside Kushina. Oh how he could push her buttons

Naruto starred at the big fox "This can't be happening. I'm dying, and worse, my last moments will be with a demon fox that have made my life a living hell". Naruto sat down and began thinking. He could remember from the books about Jinchurriki that they sometimes could channel their tenant's power. Now it was just a question of how to get the Kyuubi to cooperate. '_It's not like I can force him to do it. He is an ageless mass of chakra. But maybe…'_ Naruto smirked to himself "Well, if I am to die, I can't see any better way. I will have defeated one of the most powerful beings in this world"

The Kyuubi's laughter boomed through the sewers **"most powerful being? The Hyoton user is nothing compared to what I've seen. Heck, even by your puny standards she wasn't much to talk about"**

"Oh, I'm not talking about her" Naruto stated

The Kyuubi narrowed his eyes at the human standing in front of him "Then who are you talking about?"

Naruto smirked at the Kyuubi "You of course. When I die, you die. You're sealed inside me. Too bad, I guess if you had enough time you could break out some way. But that's not going to happen now". The Kyuubi didn't have any answer to that. Naruto went for the kill "Unless…"

**"Unless what, **_**human**_**?"**

"Unless you lend me your chakra. I bet that those guys couldn't stand up to the might of the 'mighty Kyuubi no Yoko'."

**"Watch it human"** the fox growled. He was silent for a few seconds **"Very well, but you best not waist it! You are representing me; no way **_**my**_** vessel is going to lose to a bunch of **_**thugs**_**!"** Red mist began to emit from the cage and centered around Naruto. First only a little, then more and more until Naruto couldn't see a hand in front of him. He heard the fox deep laugher rumple through the mist.

**- With Kakashi -**

Kakashi kept brushing off the attacking thugs. It seemed that it was only the two that attacked – killed – Naruto was shinobi. Kakashi kept glancing over at where Naruto had stood. There was a pool of blood spattering from where he had coughed up the blood. He looked over at Sakura who looked to be on the brink of tears. Her mind almost went blank as the image of Naruto kept appearing, watching him die to safe her. He was distracted for a moment, and was just about to take a stab from the enemy, when Zabuza blocked it. He glanced over his shoulder to look at Kakashi "Kakashi, get it together. Don't let the blond kid's death be in vain!"

Kakashi looked at Zabuza and nodded "You're right". He turned towards the attackers again. He _was_ going to protect the rest of his team. He broke his promise once already – he was not going to do it again. But he had also let his sensei down. Kakashi knocked out one of the attackers, and was just about to do the same to another when he felt a huge chakra spike. He looked around, he wasn't the only one. Even the thugs without training seemed to sense something. Then a large quake happened, knocking many of the thugs off their feet. That was when Kakashi recognized the chakra '_It can't be! It's the Kyuubi's chakra. I would never forget that feeling.'_ He turned towards Sasuke, Sakura and Tazuna "Get off the bridge!"

Sasuke wasn't going to go that easy "But se-"

"NOW!" Kakashi interrupted. Sakura ran over to Sasuke and tugged him in the arm. The three of them ran towards the entrance to the bridge while Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku held off the thugs. Another quake happened, stronger than before. The three shinobi were forced to use chakra to stay on their feet. The thugs and Gatou weren't so lucky, and kept falling on their behinds. The shinobi took this as their chance and took out a good portion. By now there were about thirty left, give or take a few. Kakashi heard a big crash and waves being pushed away. He quickly looked and marveled at the sight. A big crimson crystal pillar where standing out in the ocean, towering the bridge by at least ten meters. He got a burst of hope '_Naruto!_' Another crash from the other side of the bridge, and another of the pillars appeared. Two more appeared not long after. And then it happened. A pillar thicker and higher than any of them shut up from the ocean by the end of the unfinished bridge.

"_**You **__**are **__**dead **__**Gatou**_**!"** Naruto's voice sounded. But it wasn't like his usual voice, it was thick and dark with killer intent. Kakashi tried to see where he was, and finally spotted him. On top of the last pillar a figure where standing on all fours. Naruto was looking around with red demon eyes, trying to figure out where his victim was. He jumped down onto the bridge, scaring the thugs. One of them tried to jump off the bridge, but only made it half a meter off from it, before a spike shot out from one of the pillars, killing him on the spot. Naruto laughed _**"You don't want to come out and play Gatos-chan? Fine! I'll come and find you!"**_ The top of the pillar behind Naruto shattered in small pieces that swirled around him. Then he charged; he tore down enemies left and right. No one could escape him; they were swiped with his claw like hands, impaled by the small crystals, and broken by his strong punches and kicks.

Kakashi, Zabuza and Haku could only look in awe and fear as Naruto tore through all their enemies. There was twenty left, then fifteen, then ten. As the last few fell, Gatou came running towards them "Please, save me! I'll give you anything, pay you any amount!"

_"__**Not a chance!"**_ Naruto's demonic voice sounded. He charged a massive amount of chakra in his hands and slammed them into the ground, which began to glow dark red with chakra and moved at a fast pace towards Gatou, who began running even faster. The other shinobi saw as the chakra caught up with the little tyrant and crystallized him. Not a few seconds after it shattered in atomic pieces. Nothing was left of Gatou.

"**It i**s over" the blond Genin said. He looked at Kakashi and smiled. He began falling because of his exhaustion, only to be caught by Kakashi.

"Naruto-nii chan?" Inari asked. Naruto's eyes shut open to see Inari followed by Sasuke, Sakura, Tazuna and the rest of the islanders.

"Oh, hey Inari. What are you doing here?" Naruto asked, not even bothering hiding his exhaustion from the child.

"We came to help! All the villagers!" Inari answered, getting loud agreements from the villagers, who began to cheer on Naruto and his feat.

The silver haired Jounin looked at his student as Naruto's eyes shut close. The Jounin smiled "You did good Naruto"

Inari went over to Kakashi "Is nii chan ok?"

The Jounin smiled at the boy "Yeah, he will be fine. He just needs a lot of rest"

"That's good" Inari said excited and walked back to the villagers and told them the news.

Kakashi took Naruto as piggyback and began heading over to Zabuza and Haku who were both smiling. That stopped when they heard a voice they had hoped not to ever hear "Momochi Zabuza, Yuki Haku"

The shinobi spun around and faced the new appearance. It was a squad of four shinobi, wearing the same mask as Haku had when they had first met. Zabuza sighed in defeat "So you finally caught up to us… I will come peacefully, I only have one request. Let Haku go"

Haku couldn't even move. His master was willing to give his freedom for hers. She was about to disagree when the hunter-nin spoke up "No, both of you are coming with us."

Zabuza reached for his blade "Then we will fight"

The hunter-nin squad leader shook his head "You misunderstand Zabuza-san. The fourth Mizukage is dead. We are here on behalf of the fifth Mizukage, Terumi Mei. She said you two were close comrades under the early stages of the civil war"

Zabuza's eyes widened before narrowing "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"She really knows you well. She told us you would react like that, and told us to tell you 'even if the mist becomes bloody, doesn't mean it can't become pure again'"

Zabuza displayed a big grin "Haku, we're going home again". He turned towards Kakashi and bowed "I am sorry we had to meat under these circumstances. I hope to see you and that blond brat again"

Haku bowed likewise "Wish Naruto-kun well. I learned a lot from him". They both rose and walked to the hunter-nin, and then all disappeared with a Shunshin. Kakashi and his two conscious Genin walked back to towards Tazuna's house, receiving a hero's welcome as they walked through the city.

**- A week later -**

Team 7 was standing at the entrance to the newly finished bridge, preparing to go back to Konoha. The mission had taken a bit longer than they had anticipated, and they were all eager to get back home. To bid them goodbye were all the islanders leaded by Inari, Tazuna and Inari. Inari was sobbing lightly, seeing his new hero and big brother go away. Naruto kneeled down beside him, and he tried stop crying "I have to stop crying, or you'll just call me a crybaby!"

Naruto smiled friendly at Inari "It's ok to cry when you're happy. It just shows that you're human". Inari nodded and succumbed to full-out crying. Naruto hugged him goodbye and got up. Team 7 bids their goodbyes and began their journey home. Standing back was the bridge builder and his family.

Tazuna were smiling at the sight of Inari; he had gotten his grandson back "Hey, we haven't named the bridge yet"

Inari was looking at the fading vision of Team 7 "I think I have an idea"

"Oh, really?" Tazuna asked, already having a hunch

"'The Great Naruto Bridge'" Inari said as it was obvious. Several of the islanders voiced their agreement

Tazuna scratched his chin "'The Great Naruto Bridge', huh? Well, the name has given him plenty of luck. It should serve out bridge well".

* * *

**Sensatsu Suishō - Thousand Flying Water Needles of Death:** Using this technique, Haku gathers some water from the air and surrounding environment into one thousand long needles. She then directs them to a specific target at high speed, leaping backwards before impact so she doesn't get caught in the crossfire. Haku is able to perform this jutsu with one-handed seals, allowing him to pin an opponent's arm and attack while they cannot use any techniques themselves.

**Hyoton: Senbon no Hari – Ice Release: Frost Senbon Needles:** Haku freezes surrounding water and shapes them into frost senbon.

**Kori no Yoroi – Ice Armor:** This jutsu allows the user to become encased in a thin sheet of ice to protect herself from blunt force trauma. This armor can also aid the user in performing stronger physical attacks. The ice is transparent and can only be noticed by light reflecting off it.

**Hyoton: Namida Reito – Ice Release: Freezing Wind:** This jutsu requires the user to knead a large amount of chakra inside the body which is then converted into ice chakra, and expelled from the mouth in the form of a blue colored wind. Anything that this freezing wind comes into contact with will be automatically frozen. The effectiveness of this jutsu depends on the volume of chakra that is mustered. The only problem with this jutsu is however, that it is used for short range; therefore, the user must be near the opponent first when initiating the jutsu.

**Shoton: Kessho no Kabe - Crystal Release: Crystal Wall:** The user conjures a protective wall of crystal.

**Shoton: Omiwatari no Jutsu - Crystal Release: The Gods' Crossings Technique: **The user places his hand on a surface, creating a long stream of sharp crystals to bind and pierce a target.

**Hyoton: Namida Reito – Ice Release: Frozen Tear:** Once the appropriate hand seals are done, the user begins to gather ice elemental chakra around their fist. When the necessary chakra is gathered the user will punch the ground with either one or both of their fists causing the ground to break open and stalactites (large spikes) of ice to appear from underneath the ground, these large ice spikes are super hard can be used to impale or skewer a target. Normally the spikes appear from underneath the ground, but it's possible to cause them to appear from the side of a tree, or from a ceiling. The size and speed of the jutsu depends on amount of chakra used, more chakra, the faster the "tear" will appear, and the stronger it will be. This technique can also be performed this near a body of water, as the user can manipulate any source of water into ice, thus the more water nearby the stronger the jutsu will be.

**Shoton: Hasho Koryu - Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon:** The user crystallizes a material in the area, and then turns it into a dragon. It can be used as a means to travel or to attack a target. Several dragons can also be made and manipulated at once.

**Hyoton: Reito Ryu - Ice Style: Frozen Dragon Jutsu:** The user freezes a body of water and shapes it into a dragon that will do the users bidding. Can be used as a means to travel or to fight.

**Makyō Hyōshō - Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals:** The abominable and tremendous ability, passed down only within the Yuki clan. The "Kekkai Genkai: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals" is a technique wrapped up in many mysteries. It was said that no method in existence can defeat this technique. In an instant, multiple mirrors of ice are created around the enemy, reflecting nothing but Haku. The opponent is trapped in a dome of twenty-one floating mirrors made out of ice. Twelve remain at ground level, eight float above the first twelve and angled toward the ground, and the final mirror is above the rest and facing the ground. Once Haku has entered the mirrors, it's possible for her to move between the mirrors at the speed of light. It's impossible to see attacks send out from this literal light speed movement. As every mirror shows his reflection, one could say it's impossible to see all of Haku's attacks. Even if the opponent tries to attack the real body, Haku will have already moved to another mirror. Without eyes like the Sharingan, it will be impossible to keep track of him.

If the mirror Haku is in is broken, he can leap out of one of the fragments and continue his attack or move to another mirror. The technique requires a large amount of chakra to maintain, so Haku's movement becomes progressively slower the longer he maintains the mirrors.

Haku can also form individual mirrors, not restricted to the twenty-one-mirror formation. He can create them high in the sky allowing him to take out airborne targets. The cold which emanates from the mirrors is also enough to cause snow to fall. Though they are made from ice, the mirrors are resistant to Katon techniques.

**Shoton: Kessho Jundo – Crystal Release: **A large amount of chakra is used to entirely remake the battlefield into a giant crystal formation. This jutsu can maximum encompasses 200 feet around the user, though the area is controlled by the amount of chakra and control the user has. With the large amount of chakra used this ability is not without benefits. After the area has reached its crystal state the user then can draw energy from it. Opponents will find it very difficult to get around because of the users chakra repelling there chakra from letting them climb. In deep caverns or gorges that are formed is the most unwanted place for enemy shinobi, because of the repelling feature on enemies the area would tamper the jutsu abilities of the enemy or worse backfire on themselves.

**Suiton: Mizu no Dangan – Water Release: Water Bullet:** The user fires bullets made out of water.


	7. The Genjutsu Mistress

**Chapter 7:**** Back in Konoha with the Genjutsu Mistress**

The members of Team 7 were standing in front of the Hokage in his office. They had just given their mission report and awaited a reply. Sasuke and Sakura kept glancing and grinned, well Sakura grinned, Sasuke did his 'amused smirk' face. Naruto couldn't really blame them; he was some sight. His clothes were almost completely ruined, his shirt had two holes close to his heart where the water bullets had hit him, and he had gashes all over from his fight with Haku. He got a tick mark when he heard Sakura giggle again '_I _really_ need to get a second set of clothes. It wasn't like I could afford it before, but now that we get the pay of an A-rank it shouldn't be a problem. It's true I could have kept the jumpsuit, but I would've looked way worse. I mean, the more I wear these clothes, the more I realize how ridiculous I looked_'.

"I see…" it came from the Sandaime Hokage. He puffed a bit on his pipe before continuing "Well, I'm happy that you're all OK. You will all get the appropriate pay, and I will make sure that it will be written as an A-rank in your files". That last bit cheered the team up, as they nodded approvingly to each other. "For now you can take a week off. And before you come with any objection it's because I have a mission for Kakashi" he looked sternly at the Genin in the room to make his point clear. None of them objected, thank god, and he reached into the drawer and gave each of them the pay. "Good then. You're all dismissed. Kakashi I will call for you when we have your mission ready"

Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi began to make their way out of the office. Naruto didn't move "Hokage-Sama, I will need to speak to you in private". His teammates looked baffled. What could Naruto want to speak to the Hokage about? Kakashi had an idea of what it was, and dragged Naruto's two teammates out of the office. Hiruzen knew it was important; he could see it on his grandson-figure's face, and the fact that he had said 'Hokage-same' instead of 'Jiji'. As Kakashi left the room, Naruto tried to locate the ANBU in the room and looked back at the Hokage "I mean completely alone"

Hiruzen hesitated a second before nodding. Three ANBU appeared from their different hiding spots before disappearing again. The old Hokage rose from his seat and activated a privacy seal. He turned towards Naruto "Now we can speak without anyone listening in. What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Now it was Naruto who was hesitating. He took a deep breath "Back in Nami, when we fought at the bridge. After I had gotten shot and fell into the waters, I thought I was dying…" Naruto paused. Sarutobi could clearly see that this wasn't something Naruto was talking about easily. He showed him over to the couch and sat beside him. Naruto continued "I think I blacked out or something. When I came to it I found myself in a sewer of some sort. I didn't know what was going on, and tried to find my way out. And then… then I met the Kyuubi"

Hiruzen's eyes shot wide open "You met the Kyuubi?" As far as he knew Kushina and Mito hadn't met the Kyuubi before they had actively tried it. That Naruto would meet it accidently like that was… concerning.

"Yeah I did, but don't worry, it's not breaking loose or anything. I was in my mind, and I saw the seal" Naruto replied fast, seeing the face his grandfather figure was displaying.

The old Hokage's face relaxed "What happened then?"

"Well, it was taunting me, saying how happy it was that I was dying and so on. I, of course, wasn't so thrilled about it. To make a long story short, it lent me some chakra to save its own life. You, if I die, it dies."

"You used the Kyuubi's chakra!?" Hiruzen asked in disbelief. As far as he knew neither Mito nor Kushina had ever used the Kyuubi's chakra; Kushina had explained that the Kyuubi didn't want to share it with "lower beings".

Naruto looked worried "If I didn't I would've died. I'm sure of it" he said looking down on the floor

Hiruzen saw how Naruto was reacting "Oh, sorry Naruto. I'm just surprised" he paused and put a hand on Naruto's head. Naruto looked up at him "I'm going to have Jiraiya come and see if there's anything wrong with the seal. If there isn't… Well, let's talk about that at the time. But for now Jiraiya will be out on a mission" Naruto nodded showing he understood. The old Hokage smiled "Now to other matters. I have also added the Mizuki incident to your file as an A-rank"

Naruto looked surprised at the Hokage "You didn't have to do that"

The old man smiled friendly at the blond in front of him "I did. You must understand that the scroll he tried to steal holds some of the best kept secrets in Konohagakure, including the _Kage Bunshin_ and the _Shiki_ _Fūin_ seal that sealed the Kyuubi in you, and therefor also how to break it. It won't be easy, but… You get my point" Naruto nodded. "And of course you have also received the appropriate pay." He paused "So maybe now you could get some new clothes. Now I suggest you enjoy your days off" he finished smiling

Naruto jumped out of the couch and showed the Hiruzen one of his most brilliant smiles "Will do Jiji" he said as he began to walk out towards the door.

"Oh, and Naruto?" The blond Genin turned around to look at the Hokage "good job"

Naruto grinned broadly at his grandfather figure "Thanks Jiji" and then bolted out of the door.

**- Fifteen minutes later at Higarashi Weapon Shop -**

Tenten glanced at the clock once again. She sighed and leaned over the counter again '_five minutes my ass. I'm not even my shift, but of course I had to say yes to watch it for five minutes… thirty minutes ago. I'm going to kill Tou-san!'_ She sighed again. The village had been so quiet without Naruto in it. Even when he didn't play pranks, he did give the village energy. And she missed him, her personally. They had become closer friends than she would've thought they could when they met. She snickered remembering the orange jumpsuit he had walked into the store in, and how he had just spaced out when he saw her. She heard the bell over the door "WHAT THE HELL TOOK YOU SO LONG!"

"Erm, Nami no Kuni isn't exactly close" Naruto said rather sheepishly

Tenten blinked a few times "Oh sorry Naruto. It's my fa… What the hell happened to you!?" She had gotten a good look at his attire. It was… worrying

Naruto laughed lightly "Nothing really". Tenten didn't buy it and kept looking determinately at him, a look that said 'you're not getting out of here before you tell'. "Ok, ok. I got shot" Tenten's eyes widened a bit, but kept the look up. She knew Naruto wouldn't tell everything knowing it would worry her. Naruto saw this and sighed "ok, I got shot twice… and fell off a bridge… that was fifteen meters high… into freezing waters… and almost drowned… But I swear, I'm ok!" Naruto said, still getting 'the look'.

Tenten's jaw had almost hit the floor by now. She quickly gathered herself "Oh well, if it's _only _that. How did it happen?" Naruto sighed; he knew he had to tell the whole truth… Well, everything but the fox. And so he did. When he was done Tenten quickly got over to him and hugged him tightly "I'm glad you're ok"

Naruto tensed up – he was still not used to Tenten's hugging attitude, despite for knowing for a bit more than 2 months. There was a cough from the entrance "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

The two Genin turned towards the voice to see Kaito standing with an all knowing smile. Naruto blushed deeply and began franticly to try and explain. This was one of the few stores in the village that allowed 'the demon brat' to buy things, and he liked Tenten and Kaito – he wasn't about to get on their bad side. Kaito laughed deeply "Relax Naruto, I was just kidding. You're – whoa!" Kaito was now crouching after a dodge from a kunai. He turned towards a mad looking Tenten "What gives?"

Tenten glared at her dad "What gives? WHAT GIVES!? You said I only needed to watch the store for five minutes! Look at the clock; that was thirty minutes ago!"

Kaito laughed sheepishly "Sorry? I got caught up with Inoichi"

Tenten sighed "never mind that now. I'm going to help Naruto get a second set of clothes now"

It was the first time Kaito had actually taken a look at Naruto's clothes "Whoa! What happened to you?"

Naruto was about to answer when Tenten cut him off, still glaring at her father "Well, you would've known if you came back in time! Come Naruto, let's get your clothes."

**- Ten minutes later-**

"Ok then, it will be two-thousand ryo. And I will make sure that your old clothes get fixed" Tenten while typing it into the cash register.

Naruto nodded and took out Gama-chan "Thanks Ten-chan". He was standing in identical clothes, though without all the gashes.

Tenten looked amused at him "Ten-chan?"

Naruto froze a bit "If you don't like it…"

"No no, I like it" she quickly replied "I was just surprised."

Naruto smiled brightly at her and handed over the cash and the ruined clothes "Do you have any plans this afternoon?"

"Not really. You want to go grab something to eat? That meaning ramen of course" she said as she counted the money. It wasn't that she didn't trust Naruto, it was a policy they had; everyone could miscount or drop something.

"Yep. But we will have to drop by my place. I want to drop off my traveling gear"

"Of course" she took off her uniform. She turned towards the back "Dad, I'm going out"

A sound sounding like a hammer falling sounded followed by someone crying out. Naruto looked a little worried, but Tenten didn't seem faced by it. A few seconds later Kaito came out with sooth on half his face "Ok then, Naruto I will have her back by eleven"

Naruto began to sputter again, trying to explain that it wasn't anything like that. Tenten shot a quick glare at her dad, who was grinning broadly, and sighed. "Come on Naruto" she said as they walked out the store.

**- Later that afternoon -**

Tenten and Naruto were currently taking one of their strolls through Konoha. The blond looked around on the villagers around them; they were all giving him glares. He sighed. It was a big difference from the treatment he had gotten in Nami no Kuni. After the incident on the bridge they had almost treated him like a hero. He didn't want to be treated as a hero here; he just didn't want them to glare at him. Tenten saw it and looked with concern at him "Naruto, _why_ is it the villagers treat you like this?"

Naruto didn't answer right away. He was deciding whether or not to tell. Finally he decided not to "I'm sorry Ten-chan. It's one thing I can't tell you… Well, I _can_, but I'm not ready yet" he looked at her with pleading eyes "please understand"

The bigger girl smiled at Naruto "I understand. Just know that I'm here. No matter what you tell me, I won't judge"

Naruto smiled carefully at her "thanks"

They walked in silence for a few minutes. It was the brunette who broke the silence "So, what are you going to do the next?"

Naruto frowned "I want to train, but there is only so much I can learn from books and train myself to. And I can't ask Kaka-sensei as he is going on a mission, not that he trains me much anyhow"

Tenten looked over at her friend; something really bothered him "What is it?"

Naruto put his hand behind his head and looked at the sky "I just realized in the fight against Haku that I rely way too much on my Shoton. There are multiple things I need to do; learn a real Taijutsu style, not just the academy style, get better at my Fūinjutsu, learning some jutsu other than Shoton. For now the only jutsu other than Shoton I can use is _Kage Bunshin, Henge _and _Fūton: Reppusho_…"

"Naruto!" a voice called from down the road. The two friends looked for who had called. They didn't have to look long as a pink mass of hair appeared out of the crowd. Sakura came up to them panting lightly "I finally found you Naruto"

Naruto blinked a few times before pointing at himself "me?" Tenten had an amused grin at her face

"Yes you" That's when she saw Tenten "oh, sorry. I didn't think you would be with anyone"

Tenten got a tick mark at that comment, but let it slide "No worries, right Naruto? We weren't doing anything special." Tenten raised her hand to shake with Sakura "Higarashi Tenten"

The rosette smiled friendly at the brunette "Haruno Sakura. Pleased to meet you". She turned her gaze to Naruto, opened her mouth and closed it again '_I can't believe I'm going to ask Naruto of all people to help me… But I must admit that he isn't the same Naruto he was in the academy… Oh well, here goes nothing'_ she sighed "Naruto, I have thought hard about what you said to me. You're right; I need to act more as a Kunoichi. That will be the best way to help Sasuke… and you. I just felt so helpless back at the bridge. If you, Sasuke and Kakashi couldn't stop either of them, and they had headed for Tazuna, I could have done nothing to stop them… I need to get stronger." She still felt a knot in her stomach seeing the image of Naruto almost die protecting her and Tazuna.

Naruto was jumping in happiness inside, but remained calm on the outside. He didn't want to lose any respect he had just gotten in Sakura's eyes by acting like an idiot "That's really good to hear. But to be honest, I don't know if _I_ can help you. I am much more of a Ninjutsu type. For what I've read, you see much more like a Genjutsu or medic-nin type, I personally would go with medic-nin. But Konoha only trains shinobi and Kunoichi in medicine and medic-jutsu after they have become Chunin due to the difficulty in chakra control. If I should give you an advice I would train that monstrous strength of yours, we both know how strong you are"

First Sakura blushed, but it quickly changed to an annoyed look "I'm not sure if that was a compliment or an insult".

Tenten rolled her eyes '_Boy, Naruto, you really know how to pick them'. _Tenten coughed to get the two's attention "From what I hear from Naruto, Kakashi is out on a mission, right?" the two members of team 7 nodded affirmative. "Well, Gai-sensei is also out on one, but as _'youthful'_ as he is, he didn't want his mission to impact our training, so he has arranged for us to train under a Yuuhi Kurenai in some stuff he isn't that good in. I'm sure that if you came with me, she wouldn't have a problem with you joining us" she finished smiling. Sakura accepted immediately, Naruto was more hesitant. It wasn't easy when not every grown up who was as forthcoming. Tenten noticed the look on Naruto's face again, one she had seen not so long ago. She knew it had something to do with what he wouldn't tell her "Come on Naruto, it will be fun. And then you can finally meet one of my teammates"

"One? Isn't your whole team coming?" Naruto asked, trying to get away from the subject they were approaching again.

"No. He is a Hyuuga, so he will be training with his clan. And don't change subjects, please come" Tenten said a bit pleadingly

Naruto sighed with a smile. She knew he couldn't deny her when she began to plead like that "Ok ok, I'll come. Where and when?"

Tenten cheered mentally at her triumph "It's the day after tomorrow at training ground 3"

Naruto nodded "I'll be there. You will too, right Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah I will. I should go ask Sasuke if he want to come too. Well, I'll see you around" the female member of Team 7 said running off.

Naruto slumped forward and sighed when she was gone "of course you should…"

Tenten punched him lightly on the shoulder "Come on, cheer up. At least you have someone to train you"

"You're right, thanks" he looked up in the sun to calculate the time. It was beginning to become evening "It was really nice spending time with you again ten-chan, but I really got to go now."

Tenten nodded "That's ok. I should get back to the shop too. Well, I'll see you the day after tomorrow then?"

"You know you will"

**- Two days later -**

Naruto and Sakura were walking through the forest of Konoha making their way to training ground 3. They had met up at the gate, or rather Sakura was walking through it when Naruto was running by and decided to walk with her. Sasuke hadn't come; he had apparently said in quite a colorful language that he didn't need help. Again this got to the blond, you might be the rookie of the year, but don't be a prick about it. It didn't take long for them to make it to their destination.

Naruto smiled and waved to greet the people on the grounds "Hey guys!" From what he could see they were some of the last to come, only missing Kiba and Kurenai.

Tenten looked over from where Naruto's voice had come from "Hey Naruto!"

"YOSH! SO I FINALLY MEET THE YOUTHFUL FRIEND YOU HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT TENTEN! I'M ROCK LEE, THE SECOND GREEN BEAST OF KONOHA!" Naruto blinked a few times at the sight in front of him. A boy around the same age as Tenten was standing in front of him in a 'nice-guy' pose. That alone wasn't weird, no it was the look he was going with. He was wearing a green full-body suit with orange leg-warmers, and he had the thickest eye-brows Naruto had ever seen, framed by bowl-cut black hair.

"Eh, nice to meet you Lee. I'm Uzumaki Naruto" Naruto said sheepishly, not really knowing how to react. Thankfully he didn't have to.

"OH, AND WHO IS THIS BEAUTY?" it came from Lee. He was currently looking at Sakura.

Sakura was beginning to get _really_ annoyed with Lee "I'm way out of your league"

Naruto shook his head at Sakura's antics. He made his way over to Tenten, Shino and Hinata as Lee began to declare his love for Sakura. "Hey Hinata, Shino. Where's Kiba?"

"H-hey Naruto-k-kun" it came from the Hyuuga heir before blushing deeply.

"Hello Naruto-san. Kiba won't be able to come today as he has caught the stomach-flu" Shino said in monotone

Naruto grimaced "Ouch" he then turned towards Tenten "Ten-chan, have you asked Kurenai if it was ok for Sakura and I to join?"

"No she didn't. But I'll be ok with a few more, as long as there isn't more coming" a female voice sounded behind them. At the sound Lee immediately stopped his declarations and ran to Tenten, grabbed her arm and bowed in front of Kurenai, Tenten doing the same.

"Thank you for allowing us to attend this training session," Tenten said in a respectful voice as she straightened up. Lee didn't say anything, but nodded vigorously. "I hope you don't mind, but Naruto-kun's and Sakura-san's sensei is also out on a mission, so a brought them with me in the hopes if you would also train them"

Kurenai blinked, a little disconcerted by their extreme politeness. "That's all right, I'm happy to have you here."

Naruto bowed, not as deeply as the members of Team 9 "Thank you Kurenai-sensei". Sakura quickly did the same, not wanting to seem rude.

Kurenai nodded at them and then turned her gaze at her at the group in front of her '_Six Genin, huh? Kakashi and Gai, you really owe me after this. But it shouldn't be too hard with what I have planned for today'_. She motioned for them to sit "Well, let's get started. A Genjutsu is a construct, composed of chakra, designed to deceive the senses…"

As she began with the standard academy introduction, Kurenai considered her audience. Shino was as impassive as ever, but she got a sense that his attention was unusually focused today, whether by the visitors, or by the subject matter was debatable. Hinata hadn't said a word since the newcomers arrived. Her Byakugan could see through most Genjutsu because the chakra would be directly visible to her. But she still paid close attention to the lecture. Kurenai wondered if she was aware of the small number of advanced techniques that could deceive the Hyuuga bloodline, if she expected her eyes to fail her when it counted most, or if she was just being polite. She was most surprised with Naruto. He was mostly focused on her words, though he did fidget a little as she talked. She had expected a lot more; she had heard he was full with energy, well she had actually heard he was a little demon who no one could stop, but all the same. Sakura had taken forward a notebook and was scribbling down every word she said.

In addition to being excruciatingly polite, Gai's students were most attentive.

Lee frowned a lot as she talked. She wondered if he was having difficulty following the material, since he probably hadn't studied Genjutsu much since discovering he couldn't mold the chakra necessary to create one.

Tenten, on the other hand, was almost starry-eyed. It took a while for Kurenai to understand why she had such an awed expression on her face. From what she'd heard, the girl was one of the more formidable new Kunoichi, deadly accurate with thrown weapons, and no slouch with melee weapons either. Still, she was on a team with a male Jounin and two boys, one of whom was the Hyuuga prodigy. It was likely that she'd questioned, at least once or twice, if a woman could be a successful ninja and advance to the Jounin rank. Girls were a noticeable minority at the academy, and the disparity only became more pronounced at the higher ranks. Kurenai realized, with an uncomfortable lurch, that the girl probably idolized her for her apparent success.

She shook it from her head. "Are there any questions?" she asked. When no one moved, she continued. "Now, as for identifying when you are being affected by a Genjutsu, remember it is limited by two things: the amount of chakra used, and the creator's imagination. Both of those factors mean that not every element of the illusion will be perfect. There's only a finite amount of chakra that can be used to create the sensory overlay, and it can't include anything the creator didn't think of. That means if you act or focus on things the creator didn't anticipate, you are more likely to notice discrepancies. Once your mind seizes on these differences, the battle is mostly won. You aren't fooled anymore, and now all you need to do is push back the curtain that has been drawn before you."

Noting the nodding heads before her, Kurenai posed a question. "One commonly known method of disrupting a Genjutsu is to wound yourself – the sudden pain can shock the senses and disrupt the overlay. But this is hardly an elegant solution, as someone in a dangerous situation hardly needs to be mutilating themselves. How else do you think this can be accomplished?"

Shino spoke up first. "Logically, if it is a chakra-based energy construct, the Genjutsu can be disrupted by the application of a similar form of energy."

"That is correct," Kurenai agreed, "but we're getting ahead of ourselves. What is an easier way to free oneself from such a construct?"

Lee and Naruto looked puzzled, and Tenten frowned. Surprisingly, Hinata hesitantly raised her hand. "A-Ano… if the construct is anchored to your personal chakra, would it be easier to just disrupt the anchors, rather than the whole thing?"

"That's very close," Kurenai agreed. "You can temporarily remove what the Genjutsu is anchored to. It's tricky if you don't have good chakra control, but if you can suppress your own chakra circulation for a split second, the Genjutsu will instantly fall away from you. This is a lot easier than trying to shatter a chakra construct that might have been made by someone considerably more powerful than you are.

With that, she demonstrated the seals, and with a sharp intake of breath, suppressed her chakra circulation to zero. Instantly, the sunlight dimmed, the sound of birdsong became fainter, and the feel of the warm sun on her face was muted. She blew out the breath, released her chakra, and everything quickly went back to normal.

She had each of them practice by themselves, then with her standing next to them, maintaining a level of blindness Genjutsu on them. Hinata, Sakura and, surprisingly, Lee picked it up immediately. After figuring out what they were doing wrong, Shino and Tenten soon mastered the technique.

Unfortunately, Naruto was never able to completely suppress his chakra. Kurenai suspected the Yondaime's seal and his tenant was the reason, but she couldn't discuss it in front of others. She had to settle for a sympathetic look as Naruto grumbled and sulked.

"K-Kurenai-sensei?" Hinata asked, glancing at Naruto. "Is there a way to remove a Genjutsu from another person?" Kurenai did not miss the look she sent Naruto's way, but the boy was too busy sulking to pay attention just yet.

"Well… there is, but it's a little trickier," Kurenai agreed. "Shino hit upon the principle earlier. You have to disrupt the chakra in the Genjutsu itself. The easiest way to do this is to draw in your chakra and push it down toward your hara, right below your navel. You collect as much as you can, and compress it into as tight a sphere as possible. Visualize it like a ball being squeezed and compressed from every direction. Once you have it packed as tightly as possible, release it all at once."

"Excuse me Kurenai-sensei, but wouldn't it hurt?" Sakura asked still writing.

"Not really," Kurenai assured her. "One, it is very difficult to gather a lot of energy that way. Also, it's still _your_ chakra. It's attuned to your body, and until it's expected by a jutsu, it will just pass through your cells without damaging them."

"I can see how that might push away a Genjutsu anchored to me, but how will that help someone else?" Tenten asked curiously.

"Another very good question," Kurenai acknowledged with a nod. "When the chakra leaves your body, it will form a pulse, almost like a shockwave, that will extend a small distance, based upon how much chakra is used. That pulse can also disrupt any Genjutsu it encounters. However, it's difficult to generate enough power to make the pulse extend any great distance. Thus, you may have to be very close to the person you are trying to free," she concluded, ignoring the blush that suddenly spread across Hinata's face.

With that, Kurenai had them practice the harder method. Unsurprisingly, Lee could not perform this method at all. Tenten could do it, but the pulse only extended a few inches from her skin, the same with Sakura. Hinata concentrated for several moments, and then released a chakra pulse that extended over two feet from her body, after which she fell to her knees, gasping for breath.

Kurenai didn't often think about the Kyuubi, not even when it's Jinchurriki was standing right in front of her, training under her. It was locked away, sealed inside Naruto. As far as she knew it only gave him unnatural stamina and the hatred of the villagers, but it didn't control his mind or his soul. So it could be understood how she overlooked the affects her instructions would have on the vessel that contained the nine-tailed fox.

It wasn't until the frustrated Genin began to concentrate and an actually visible haze of blue chakra appeared around him, tinted purple at the edges, that the implications sank in. Kurenai opened her mouth to tell him to stop when he released the chakra pulse.

She instinctively threw up her hands as the energy washed over her. Her skin tingled and all the hairs on the back of her neck stood at attention, but there were no truly adverse effects. The air was filled with sound as the trees around them emptied of birds. Turning and looking across the clearing, Kurenai could see flocks of birds taking wing in the distance… and the faint shimmer in the air meant the pulse was still traveling.

She turned back around and saw everyone staring at Naruto. Tenten's and Sakura's mouths were hanging open, but Lee was giving him a v-for-victory sign. Shino's eyebrows were clearly visible above his sunglasses. Hinata's Byakugan were activated, and the expression on her face bordered on awe. Naruto gave his sensei a sheepish grin and shrugged as he scratched the back of his head.

Kurenai sighed. "I suppose if you aren't good at chakra _suppression_, you'd make up for it with chakra _expression_. We should try to finish this lesson before the ANBU get here to find out what happened."

**- A week later -**

Naruto was on his way to bed. Kakashi had come back the previous day, and had pushed them to do _three_ D-rank missions, and he was totally exhausted. He got in bed and started thinking of the last week, especially the expression of the others when he had released that Genjutsu release.

He had learned a few new things with Kurenai; his henge wasn't an ordinary henge. The ordinary henge is just an illusion that encompasses the user and change how one looks. What he did was actually making a real body. So in the last week he had learned a few more things about his abilities. He still hadn't learned any new jutsu per say, but now that Kakashi was back he was going to force him to train him. He yawned loudly, turned around and was fast asleep.


	8. Foreigners descend for the exams!

**Chapter 8:**** Foreigners descend for the exams!**

Team 7 was walking through the gates of Konoha with a caravan in tow. They had been on a C-rank mission to escort and assigned to guard it while it was going through a quarter of Hi no Kuni. And once again the Chunin guards laughed at Naruto; his clothes had been seethed in a Katon jutsu, and small patches were missing. Some shinobi had decided to try and rob the caravan a few miles from Konoha – rather stupid in Naruto's opinion – and of course he had been the only one hit by the only jutsu being cast.

Naruto dusted some cooling embers of his shirt "of course it was me he had to hit. It would be nice to walk into Konoha once without something having messed up my clothes! Last time it was a Suiton jutsu, the time before that a futon and I don't want to remember the time before that! Is one homecoming with my clothes intact too much to ask!?"

Kakashi waved his right hand in a dismissive manner "Ah, come on Naruto it isn't that bad"

Naruto shot his sensei a glare "Oh, and how would you know, oh great sensei? You never even look up from that damned porn"

The blond Genin didn't get an answer, and as such he just started brooding over his bad luck the rest of the way through Konoha. After they had dropped of their escort in the business part of Konoha, completing their mission, they made their way to the Hokage tower. Mission wise the last weeks hadn't gone bad. They still had the D-ranks, but the Hokage seemed to like their results on the C-ranks as they were getting more and more of those. So far they had completed 4 – 5 with this – C-ranks. They quickly reached the Hokage's office and knocked on the door to mark their entrance.

The old Hokage looked up from his stacks of paperwork "Ah Team 7. Back from another successful mission I take?" he paused at the sight of Naruto and sighed "what happened this time?"

Naruto crossed his arms. "Freakin' Katon jutsu" he answered in a scowl. Hiruzen shook his head in amusement.

Kakashi stepped forward, still reading his little orange book "Team 7 is reporting back from C-rank mission. The caravan have been successfully escorted through Hi no Kuni without any major incidents."

"Easy for you to say" Naruto mumbled behind him, but he didn't react on it.

The old Hokage nodded and wrote something down. He took a look at the paper he had been working on "I must say, I'm impressed with you. From all the teams of this year, you are doing by far the best." The statement cheered Naruto and the rest of his team up. Hiruzen mused as he puffed on his pipe a few times "Well, I think that will be all for now. Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, you are all dismissed. Kakashi I have some things to discuss with you"

The Genin of Team 7 responded with a 'Hai', bowed lightly, and disappeared out of the door.

Hiruzen walked up and activated a privacy seal "It has been some weeks since your last report. How is your team progressing?"

Kakashi clapped the book close and put it in his pouch. He looked thoughtful "They are all progressing nicely. Sasuke, as you know, has activated the Sharingan and I have been training him how to use it. His Taijutsu is also improving quite nicely, so is his chakra control. We haven't gotten to the point where we start with the Uchiha clan-jutsu. For now we focus mostly on Taijutsu for him to getting used to his Sharingan" Hiruzen nodded while blowing out some smoke from his pipe.

Kakashi continued "And Sakura, our rosette has really done a 180. She is actually trying. Though I'm focusing most on Sasuke, I have been observing her training. She sometimes trains with Naruto to get some pointers, but she mostly trains herself. She is a natural at chakra control, so it seems she focus more on the physical aspects of being a shinobi. I haven't seen her train any Taijutsu, rather she trains her strength, doing all kinds of different workouts. Rather clever actually; she was already rather strong for a girl her age, heck for a girl any age, so by training that first she will get an ace." Kakashi paused to think "And when I think about it, she seems to have more energy than she had those first few weeks. It could of course just be from her training, but I think she is eating well now, rather than being on a diet and starving her body".

Hiruzen smiled "Ah, so we have another aspiring Kunoichi? That's good. I was a bit worried about the new generation's Kunoichi. Most of this year's graduates were not really suited for the life of a shinobi"

Kakashi nodded affirmative "Ai, it seems that way"

Hiruzen got a tad more serious. This was what he really was interested in "And what about Naruto"

Kakashi noticed the difference in the old Hokage's posture and speech pattern "Well, to be honest, I don't know a whole lot. You know that Jiraiya-Sama has taken to train him, when he is around that is. I try to follow them in the shadows, not that I could hide from Jiraiya-Sama, but they seem to train in an area surrounded by _chakra suppression_ and _barrier seals_. I have an idea of what they are doing in there, but as I said, I can't be sure"

"You think Jiraiya is training him in using the Kyuubi?"

"That would be my guess" Kakashi let it sink in "When Jiraiya is away Naruto uses one of the more secluded training grounds. He is really using the _Kage Bunshin_ to its full potential. It seems like he has learned a new Taijutsu form, probably from Jiraiya, but I don't recognize it. He also seems to be practicing Fūinjutsu a lot. He is at least on level with someone who can use the _restriction seal_. He is also finally focusing on something more than just his Shoton. He has taken a liking to Fūton"

A gleam of approval flashed in Hiruzen's eyes "Fūton, huh?" the old man said with nostalgic written all over his face "Just like his father… How adept is he in it?"

"I would say he is at skill level of someone having cut a third of a leaf. He certainly is more adept in Fūton than Doton. He is not really training his Doton as of now. My guess would be that he tried out both Doton and Fūton, and decided to train the element he was better at."

Hiruzen nodded at the information he had gotten "What about the _Rasengan_? Does he even know what jutsu he is learning yet?"

Kakashi shook his head "No it doesn't seem he does. He is at the final step; suppressing the sphere. It looks like it's almost complete, but he seems to be stuck. He just needs the last push"

Hiruzen leaned back in his chair and breathed deeply "He really is impressive. He isn't like Sasuke; whereas Sasuke is a genius, Naruto just works really hard. Not that I am saying Naruto is not as talented, but I wouldn't call him a genius"

"Hai" though agreeing to it, left a bitter taste in Sarutobi's mouth.

The old Hokage sat back up and looked the silver-haired Jounin straight in the eye "Just one more thing Kakashi. You know about the Jounin meeting this afternoon" Kakashi confirmed with a nod "don't be late. This isn't one you want to be late to"

Kakashi sighed "Alright, alright, I'll be there on time. Just this once"

Hiruzen nodded and began on his paperwork again "That was all. You're dismissed"

As his Jounin left the Sandaime's mind soon wondered as he stops working. Hiruzen's gaze went solemn as his mind recounted Kakashi's opinion between Naruto and Sasuke.

"I have the nerve to call myself his grandfather when I cannot even praise him for his rise of hard working of his skills. When in fact he learns like you Kushina, you who became a living legend in this village. And was it not I who said once 'true talent is not measured by natural talent or hard work. But in your determination'. I am an old fool… Forgive me Naruto."

**- With Naruto -**

Naruto was walking through Konoha towards the training grounds. After they had been dismissed Naruto had been around his apartment quickly to change. He had also sent a _Kage Bunshin_ with his burned clothes to Higarashi. Normally he would have done it himself to see if Tenten was around, but he knew she wouldn't be at the store. The day Team 7 was setting out on their mission, she had told him that she and her team was going to participate in the Chunin-exams, and that their sensei would use every moment until the exams with training them. So the chances of Naruto running into her were rather slim.

Naruto frowned lightly when he thought about his own training '_It's so frustrating! I'm sure I'm really close to finishing that jutsu Ero-sennin is training me in, but I just can't give it the last push… And then there's the Shoton Bushin. I just can't make it. I make the form, it gains my traits, but it's just a dummy, it won't and can't do anything. Maybe if I…'_

"Hey Naruto!" a female voice called him.

He turned around to see Sakura running towards him waving. He couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach. Little by little since they had come back from Nami no Kuni Sakura had accepted him more and more. She didn't call him an idiot or hit him that much anymore – which he was _very_ thankful for. She had even joined him for training sometimes, where she fought against him or his clones. That way she was training her endurance with the never ending clones, and Naruto has been training her in the new Taijutsu style he had learned from Jiraiya. He waved back at the pink-haired Kunoichi "Hey Sakura-chan. Is something wrong?"

She made her way to her teammate "No, not at all. I was just wondering if you were going to train now."

He grinned at her "Do you even have to ask?"

She shook her head smiling "No, I guess not. Can I join you? I have a new trick I want to try out"

"Sure, but what about Sasuke?" Naruto asked while starting to walk again.

Sakura followed him "He is training with Kakashi as usual" she said a little harsh.

"Of course he is…" he said tiredly. Naruto couldn't blame Sakura, since he felt the same way; Kakashi was Team 7's sensei, not Uchiha Sasuke's personal guide. He could understand Kakashi taking some time for Sasuke, him being the only one able to train Sasuke about the Sharingan, but forgetting Sakura and him all together? That was pushing. They weren't mad at Sasuke, though he was sucking it up and not thinking about the team as a whole either, but at Kakashi. He was just glad that he can help Sakura could train by them or they would really be screwed.

They soon enough made it to training ground 43. Sakura politely waited while Naruto made the clones. Naruto made his way to the middle of the field and formed a familiar seal **"**_**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_**"** Two-hundred-ish clones appeared. Already knowing what to do they split up; a third of them working on Jiraiya's balloons, a fourth working on Fūinjutsu, a fourth working on the Shoton Bunshin and the last were walking towards Sakura to get ready to train with her. Naruto also made his way to his female teammate.

Sakura looked over at all the Naruto's who had sat down and started writing "Naruto, what are those clones doing?"

The real Naruto looked over at which ones she was referring to "Oh, they are working on my Fūinjutsu"

Sakura eyes widened '_Fūinjutsu! He is working on Fūinjutsu!? I knew he was good; he is by far the best in our class… Even better than Sasuke. But to work on something that advanced?'_ She shook the disbelief from her. She should be used to this by now; Naruto kept surprising her from the day they had graduated. If you had asked her in the academy is she would ever willingly train with Naruto she would have smacked them across the classroom for the insult. But now? She would never have gotten this far if it wasn't for him.

"Sakura-chan? Sakura-chan, are you ok?" Naruto asked waving a hand in front of her face

She blushed lightly. She must have spaced out "Oh, yeah I'm ok. I'm just surprised that you're working on something as advanced as Fūinjutsu… Wait, so you're making those sealing scrolls you're using by yourself?" He nodded "How many seals have you learned"

Naruto showed her an embarrassed grin while scratching the back of his head "well, I know sealing scroll, explosion tags, restriction seals and mild chakra suppression seals. But that's all. Fūinjutsu is some of the toughest I've ever done." She nodded at the information, just getting even more impressed. Naruto got into his stance "Well, shall we?"

She grinned at him "Oh, yes we shall". Shivers ran through all the clones around her.

**- Later that afternoon -**

Naruto patted his behind "Ouch. You really have improved Sakura-chan" he said winching

She smiled proudly "Thanks"

"But how did you hit that hard? I mean, you left small craters for crying out loud" the blond Genin ask with a wondering expression.

"Chakra" she answered simply

Naruto's eyes lit up "Of course. That explains it. So you channel some chakra through your muscles making them stronger while you fight?"

"Yes" she nodded affirmative "but I can't do it for longer period of times, so I need training in that"

"I see…"

"Hey Naruto-nii chan!" a voice sounded behind them.

The two members of Team 7 turned around to see three eight-year olds standing and smiling to Naruto. It was Konohamaru, Moegi and Udon, or as they liked to call themselves, 'the Konohamaru corps'. Naruto kinda liked them. Konohamaru, the hyperactive leader with the longest scarf he had seen, Udon, the math genius slice geek, with a never ending cold, and Moegi the reasonable Kunoichi in training, with gravity-defying pigtails. He smiled back at them "Hey guys. What's up?"

Konohamaru looked deadpanned at him "Come on nii chan! Can't you remember? You promised to play shinobi with us when you came back from your mission!" Udon and Moegi nodded in agreement

Sakura turned to Naruto with a look that greatly resembled Konohamaru's "Really? A shinobi playing shinobi?"

"Ah, come on Sakura-chan. When you were in the academy didn't you ever want to play shinobi? And what better way to do it than with someone already a shinobi?" he answered not embarrassed at all.

The rosette shook her head smirking.

Konohamaru looked between the two older children. You could really see the wheels turn in his head. His eyes lit up "Oh boss! Is this your" he made a gesture with his pinky finger that all but screamed 'girlfriend'

Naruto quickly shook his hands in front of him in a defensive manner and shook his head "No, no! She is my teammate! Not my girlfriend!" He glanced over at Sakura; she had a tick mark, but seemed to calm down when Naruto denied it.'

Konohamaru took his hand and cupped his chin while nodding "I see. Guess it's because she's so flat-chested, right boss? Or, or! It's because she has that monstrously large forehead, right boss?"

Naruto looked at his little-brother figure in disbelief _'There is no saving you from this Konohamaru'_. Naruto sighed "No, it's not because of either of those. Goodbye Konohamaru, it was nice knowing you"

Konohamaru gave him a puzzled look "Why? Are you going somewhere?"

"No, but you are" Naruto said and pointed lightly over at Sakura. Konohamaru glanced over at where Sakura should have been. What he saw instead he could've sworn was the death-god Shinigami.

It didn't take him more than a second to take off, with Sakura right behind him "I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BRAT!"

Moegi and Udon looked worried at Naruto. He sighed "Alright, I'll try to stop her. But if anything happens to me, it's on you guys" he said pointing at them before he took off "SAKURA-CHAN! PLEASE DON'T KILL HIM! HE WAS JUST KIDDING, RIGHT KONOHAMARU!?"

"R-RIGHT! SORRY SAKURA, I DIDN'T MEAN IT! NARUTOOO! HELP ME!" it came from the young Sarutobi as he tried to get away from the spitting image of the death god.

Naruto had caught up to them when Konohamaru turned a corner. He heard a 'humph'. Sakura seemed to have calmed a bit down from the running and looked wondering at Naruto. The blond Genin looked just as confused. They quickly turned the corner as well and saw what Konohamaru had run into. He was currently held up in his scarf.

"Well well well, what do we have here? A little brat going where he shouldn't" the boy Konohamaru had run into said. He was wearing a black and baggy full body suit, with a red and yellow circle in front. To top the look off he also wore a black hood with cat-like ears on it. What caught Naruto's attention was the hitai-ate on his forehead. Naruto narrowed his eyes '_Suna… I guess they're here for the Chunin exams. But that doesn't mean they can go around and do whatever they want'_.

"Konohamaru" Moegi and Udon cried as they had just turned the corner.

The Suna-shinobi tightened his grip "That hurt, brat"

"Stop it. We're going to get scolded later. We're not in Suna anymore" a female voice came from behind the foreigner. Naruto took a look at her '_She is rather pretty'_. She had dark green eyes, and blond hair, not far from the color he had, though a little darker, which was gathered in four ponytails.

Naruto stepped forward "Your teammate is right, Suna, let go of the boy"

Kankuro looked at the blond boy and saw the hitai-ate. He grinned mentally '_They must be Konoha Genin. Let's have some fun'_. He stared hard at the boy in his hand "No, I think I better teach this brat a lesson before some noisy people come around."

Temari sighed "Kankuro, you're on your own with this. I won't be a part of this"

Kankuro ignored it and brought his free hand back, ready to throw a punch. That was Naruto's cue; he took off a lot faster than before. Before Kankuro could react Naruto had wrapped his hand around his wrist and twisted it, causing Kankuro to lose grip on Konohamaru. Naruto wasn't done; he twisted the arm behind his opponents back, while sweeping his feet, causing him to fall on his stomach. Naruto quickly conjured a kunai-like weapon with his Shoton and pointed it at the back of his neck "You should've listened to your teammate".

The Konohamaru-corpse and the Suna-Genin looked in disbelief. Sakura, not so much, after all, she had been on the same team as Naruto for months, and trained with him. She looked hard at the two shinobi from Suna "Suna, why are you here? It's true that Konoha and Suna are allies, but you need a passport and reason if you want to be in Konoha"

Kankuro laughed lightly "How pathetic. You don't even know that the Chunin-exams are coming up?"

Naruto tightened his grip on Kankuro's arm, causing him to wince "And you are one to talk? We will have to take a look at your passports anyway"

Temari frowned "And why is that"

Naruto didn't look happy and half-glared at the girl "Even if you are here for the Chunin-exams, it doesn't give you right to go around and do whatever you please. As a shinobi of Konoha I can ask any foreigner to show their passport if I find suspicion that they are a danger, or do crime in Konoha. Your friend here" he nodded at Kankuro "have attacked a shinobi-in-training, the third Hokage's grandson none the less, a shinobi, and resisted giving your passports. So now, _please_, hand over your passports!"

Temari could see the boy wasn't kidding, and felt chills run down her spine when she heard who the boy her brother had almost mugged was "Kankuro, see! That's why I told you not to do it. I'm sorry Konoha" she said bowing "please let my brother go"

Naruto hesitated a bit, but did as she had asked. Kankuro stood up and dusted himself off. Naruto still was less than happy with her "And now your passports. Also the redhead up there" he made a gesture with his head towards a tree nearby. All the people around him looked surprised up at the place.

A red-haired boy were standing upside down in the tree "Temari, Kankuro, you are a disgrace to our village".

Temari looked a little scared "Gaara"

Gaara jumped down between them and handed over his passport to Naruto. Kankuro and Temari quickly did the same.

Naruto looked through them. As they had said, they were here for the Chunin-exams. Naruto's right brow lifted when he saw that they were the Kazekage's children, but that wasn't going to get them any special treatment. He searched his pouch and pulled up a pen. He channeled chakra through it to make ink and made a few notes. He handed the passports back "This will be reported. I will suggest that you hold a low profile while staying in Konoha. If you pull a prank like this again I can't promise that you will be able to stay"

"I'll make sure that there won't be any more problems" Gaara said bowing lightly. The dark green eyes met the bright blue. Naruto could feel something, maybe something familiar? He couldn't be sure.

He shook it off quickly and regained his serious face "Make sure of it". Gaara nodded before taking his team with him.

Naruto held his 'though guy' pose until he could feel the Suna-teams presences leave. He exhaled and turned towards the others with a smile "Konohamaru, are you ok?"

Konohamaru and his corps looked at Naruto with stars in their eyes. Konohamaru stepped out from his hiding place behind Sakura "Yeah I am. Boss, that was so cool!" Udon and Moegi quickly over fused him with compliments, how he was a hero and how they bet he could kick those Suna-shinobi's asses if he wanted to.

Naruto grinned embarrassed, but stopped abruptly and looked up in another tree "Sasuke, you enjoying the view?"

Sasuke just replied with an 'hn'. He looked over the people there "I just came to tell you that for tomorrow we will have to meet Kakashi at the bridge". And with that he disappeared. Naruto sighed '_Don't you ever get out of that asshole phase?'_

He turned around to Sakura to see her clutch her hands near her heart, making his own break slightly "Don't worry about him". It didn't seem to help "Oh well, I'm going to get something to eat now, so see you tomorrow Sakura-chan."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow" she replied distantly

"HEY! What about us playing shinobi?" Konohamaru asked rather irritated

Naruto shrugged "Well, you can come with me, you paying for your own food of course, and we can do it after" he said and started to walk towards Ichiraku's. The Konohamaru-corps quickly ran after him while chattering about how cool he was.

**- At Konoha's main gate -**

The Chunin-guards were having a busy day. The Chunin-exams were coming up, and Genin from all over the elemental continent were heading to Konoha to participate, and because of that there was a lot of extra work for the gate-guards. Yet another team was heading towards the gates of Konoha. But this was from Kiri, the first one they'd seen so far.

"So this is Konoha, huh? It's a lot different from… from home" Haku said. She was still getting used to the idea of having a home, and not just being on the move all the time.

"You're right. It's a lot different" Zabuza replied looking at the big gates.

Haku smiled "I hope I get to see Naruto while we're here"

"M-me too. You have t-talked a lot about this guy" it came from one of her teammates. His name was Kurosuki Chojuru and he was the same age as her; thirteen years old. He has short, tufty blue hair, and dark eyes. He also had pointed, shark-like teeth; a trait that Haku knew he was shy about, and wished he didn't have. He wears square, black-rimmed glasses connected to ear protectors, a blue pin-striped shirt, and camouflage pattern pants. Over his shirt he wears his forehead protector on the front of his holster, which he uses to carry his sword. Haku was rather impressed by how well he was handling his sword; it was a big broad one, one that couldn't be light. Many had talked about that he could be the next wielder of Hiramekarei. He also had a sharp mind for tactics. But as he was now he couldn't put it to full use; he was rather shy, even with all his talent.

"Bah, as long as you stop talking about it every five minutes! He can't be _that_ remarkable" it came from her second teammate. His name was Ringo Kouhei, descendant of Ringo Ameyuri, one of the former Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He was slightly older than his two teammates; fourteen years old. In his year he was one of the best shinobi, but according to his clan, he not something to boast about. He was rather short for their age-group, but had a very elegant build. He had large brown eyes, framed by long coffee-colored hair worn in a style that could resemble a waterfall. Kouhei was more of a Taijutsu expert, using a modified form of his clan's Taijutsu. His form emphasizes tormenting one's opponent and using blocks and counterstrikes. Although he was very proficient in it, he was not without weapon; he was always wearing a whip at his side, and he knew how to use it. He was also a very skilled in trap-laying, a skill which had saved them a few times. But because of his clan looking down on him, he was not quick to acknowledge others strength.

"That's where you are wrong" Zabuza said to his student "Not only did Naruto go toe to toe with Haku here, but he beat her. Given, he was rather beaten up himself; he came out of it victorious. And you both know how strong Haku is; you have only been able to beat her when you teamed up, and even then you lose when she uses her mirrors. Naruto _beat_ her mirrors."

"He sounds s-scary… I hope I d-don't let you guys down" Chojuru said a little dejected

Kouhei didn't believe a word of it. That Naruto guy must just have been lucky "You're not getting to me with any of that crap. When I see him I'll decide whether he is strong or not"

Haku shook her head as her team made its way over to the booth and showed their passports. After they had gotten their approval they made their way into Konoha to find their hotel.

**- Half an hour later -**

"KAMI OMOI! YOU ARE _NOT_ GOING TO DIE!" a voice sounded from the forest-line making the guards winces. They turned to look where the god-awful voice came from. It was a dark-skinned Kunoichi with long red hair and amber eyes. She looked to be around thirteen or fourteen. She was wearing a long, short-sleeved dress with frilly edges and a flak jacket in Kumo style, two simple yellow earrings and fishnet stockings. To finish it off she had thigh-high boots with white soles and she wore her hitai-ate as a bandanna. It didn't take long for the guards to conclude that the team coming was from Kumo. They frowned; Kumo and Konoha had severed all but the most basic communication lines, after Kumo had used what was supposed to be a peace-treaty to attempt a kidnap on the Hyuuga heir.

"But Karui, what if Kono-" Omoi tried

"NO!" she yelled at him before slamming him on top of the head. Even if he was from Kumo, the guards couldn't help but feel sympathy for the poor guy. He had just as dark skin as his teammate, and looked to be the same age, but he had short, spiky, white hair and dark eyes that curved slightly upwards. He was wearing a dark outfit consisting of an overlong shirt with a hood, red bandage as hand guards, shin guards Kumogakure style and a black hitai-ate. He also seemed to have a thing for lollipops, as he had just finished one, but it was replaced within a second.

"Would you two _please _calm down! We are representing Kumogakure, and Konoha and Kumo haven't exactly been best friends the last few years" a third voice sounded, drawing the guard's eyes away from the bickering couple. Their mouths instantly watered; behind the two dark skinned shinobi were standing what they only could describe as beautiful. It was another girl, probably around sixteen or so. She had long, straight, blond hair, close to the color of the Yamanaka's hair. It was bound with tight bandages in a ponytail, before falling free to around her waist. She was wearing a short-sleeved black and purple blouse, black pants, both of which had cloud-like designs on them. Around her hands were purple fingerless gloves, and a chain of white beads wound around her left hand. Around her arms and legs she wore bandages, and around her waist a red belt. Around her forehead, keeping her hair from falling into her face, she wore the Kumo hitai-ate.

"Yugito is right you know" a fourth voice sounded. The team was finally together "Raikage-Sama has sent us here to make the relation between our villages better. Whether Konoha wants to acknowledge it or not, the Hyuuga incident wasn't on his orders, though I can't blame them that they don't believe it. If it had been the other way around I can't say we would have reacted as well as they did. So you guys are not only here as participants in the Chunin exams, but also diplomats."

The guards had all but forgotten Yugito now. The last member of the Kumo team seemed to be as old as Yugito. She had fair skin and tall of stature, with lots of curves, especially her breasts. She had blue eyes and straight blond her, framing her face with a shorter cut in the back, and the front bangs reaching her shoulders. She was wearing a very low-cut outfit with mesh underneath, a short skirt and red hand-guards, high boots and what the guards guessed to be a modified Kumogakure flak jacket, that only covered her stomach, not very different that a girdle.

"Yes, yes Samui" Karui answered with a dismissive wave "I know that you have already taken the exam and all, but I can't understand why B-sensei couldn't come himself"

"Because of Yugito. I mean, try to imagine two of her kind, no offence to you Yugito, in a foreign village. Add to it that Konoha also has its own, I mean, what if they all lost control, and they wiped Konoha from the map. The other villages would demand them executed, and we wouldn't have a choice, and then there would be another big War, since Hi no Kuni would be unprotected, and then-"

"Gah! I get it already!" Karui cried out

"You two, stop it now! Act more cool, more like a shinobi of Kumo!" she said to them before going over to the booth and handed over the passports. She quickly got them back, and took her team to downtown Konoha, where they would be staying.

**- In the Jounin meeting lounge -**

Hiruzen Sarutobi was sitting in his chair looking over all the Jounin-sensei's. He had already declared the Chunin-exams a little over a week ago, and there was only one more thing to do. He puffed a few more times on his pipe "Now that the Chunin-exams are soon upon us, will the Jounin-sensei with this year's Genin step forward". Three Jounin in the front row walked forward "Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma. As you know, any Genin who has completed more than twelve missions is eligible to enter the exam, though the new Genin's can only do it through your recommendations. But, as I'm sure you all know, it is rare for new Genin to be in the exams. Normally the Jounin-sensei in charge waits till they have completed at least a year of training" he paused, puffing on his pipe again, and letting what he had said sink in "Is there any Genin on your teams, who you think are ready?

Kakashi moved his right arm up in a half ram seal, a tradition when nominating someone to the exams, and began restate the words for nominating "From Team 7 that I lead, Uchiha Sasuke, Uzumaki Naruto, and Haruno Sakura. I recommend those three to the Chunin-exams under my name, Hatake Kakashi".

Murmurs ran through the room, but were soon silenced as Kurenai took the same position as Kakashi had "From Team 8 that I lead, Hyuuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino. I recommend those three to the Chunin-exams under my name, Yuuhi Kurenai"

The crowd didn't have time to start again, as Asuma took the same pose as the others "From Team 10 that I lead, Yamanaka Ino, Nara Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. I recommend those three to the Chunin-exams under my name, Sarutobi Asuma".

As the last of the new Jounin-sensei's finished the crowd erupted in talk. Stuff likes 'all three gave their recommendations!', and 'It's been a couple of years since rookies have appeared in the Chunin exams' ran through the Jounin. Some looked less pleased than others, but none interjected. The old Hokage nodded "Very well. It's settled then, Hatake Kakashi's Team 7, Yuuhi Kurenai's Team 8, and Sarutobi Asuma's Team 10, will be given the chance of joining the Chunin-exams." He nodded to himself "Now that that's settled, let's move on to…"

**- Next morning at the bridge -**

The Genin of Team 7 had only waited for about 20 minutes when their sensei appeared in a puff of smoke on the top of the bridge. All quickly tensed, as their sensei only ever showed close to on time when something serious was going on. When Kakashi saw this, he lazily waved "Relax, relax. Nothing is going on, you can get out of your stances" when he saw them relax he continued. "Well, I'll get right to the point. I have recommended you all to the Chunin-exams, so…" he searched his pouch and took out three application-papers "Here, take these applications. But as I said, I have only _recommended_ you, so it's up to you guys if you want to give it a go or not." The three Genin took the applications as he continued "If you want to participate, then you sign the papers, and meet at the academy the first of July 3p.m, and go to room 301. That's in three days."

The Genin nodded and took a look at their applications. Kakashi continued "furthermore, because the Chunin exams are held here, I can't train or help you before the second exam is complete. Due to the number of foreign shinobi in the village, more Konoha-shinobi has been called to duty as patrols. So, decide well. Ja ne" and with that he puffed away.

Before Sakura and Naruto could even talk to him, Sasuke had also disappeared, causing Sakura to sigh heavily. She leaned on the railing beside Naruto, whom seemed to be in deep thought. She looked at him wonderingly "I thought you would be jumping up and down in happiness. This is just what you want, isn't it?"

Naruto breathed deeply and looked up in the sky "Yes it is. But, I'm not sure if I'm ready. Tenten and her team are also in the exams, for the first time, and they have had a lot more training than we have. We will most likely be the most inexperienced Genin there, unless the others from our year join the exam, but even then, some of the most inexperienced."

"Oh" was all Sakura could say

"Yeah" Naruto replied, still looking at the clouds. "But on the other hand, this is our chance to show what we got. I mean, I want to show everyone from our year that I'm not 'dead-last' anymore. I can't take how condescending they talk to me, well apart from Hinata and Shino. And I bet you want to show Ino how strong _you_ have become?"

Sakura smiled when she thought about how Ino would react "Yeah, can't wait to see her face when I beat her"

Naruto got up and started walking, but stopped halfway off the bridge "I guess it's something we have to decide for ourselves. Let's just agree on that we won't blame the other for whatever we chose. Deal?"

Sakura nodded "Deal"

* * *

**Chakra suppression seal:** A seal that suppresses chakra. It can either be put on a person to suppress the individual's chakra, or put in a formation around an area to prevent any chakra to leak out, or being detected.

**Barrier Seal:** You set up seals in a formation around an area to prevent anything or anyone to get in or out without 'the key'.

**Restriction Seal:** A seal that makes it harder for the user to walk around. It has 100 levels, each level being a lot harder than the previous. The user can use it as training, forcing the body to use a lot more energy on walking around.

**Rasengan - Spiraling Sphere:** The Rasengan is a powerful A-rank technique invented by the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, which he created by observing the Tailed Beast Ball. Minato spent three years developing the Rasengan; his plan was to take the shape transformation of one's chakra to the "_highest possible point_" and then combine it with his chakra's nature affinity, creating a technique that did not need the aid of time-consuming hand seals to control. He died before he could accomplish this, but on shape transformation alone, the Rasengan is still a very useful, powerful, versatile, and difficult technique to learn and master.


	9. Chunin exams are here! First exam start!

**Chapter 9: ****Ch****u****nin exams are here! First exam start!**

The sun was finally peeking over the mountains of Konoha, and was shining directly through a window, and landing on a very special Genin. Naruto rolled over groaning, trying to hide from the sun a few more minutes. He was lying like that for thirty seconds or so, before peeking on the clock; it was showing 7:43 a.m. Naruto rolled his eyes '_of course. The day I decide to sleep in till around eleven I wake up early. Just my luck… Back to bed I guess'._ Naruto threw a pillow over his face again, trying to get some more sleep. After what seemed like hours to him, he fluttered an eye open lightly, to look at the ever ticking clock. 7:52 a.m. He threw off the comforter and sat up in bed "fuck this".

Normally he would have been up in the early hours, training his ass off until his team would meet, but since today was everything but normal, he had planned slept in to when the normal citizen would have woken. He could see he would have none that. He sighed and started a mild morning routine: 400 sit-ups, 400 pull-ups, 400 push-ups, and 400 squats. Normally he would have done twice as much, but since today was the day of the exams, he wouldn't want to over exert himself. After he was done he went to the bathroom and did his business. For once he could actually enjoy his shower, instead of rushing through it.

He came out of the steaming bathroom with a towel around the waist, and headed for the kitchen. It took him real self-restraint not to just take one of the ramen cups, but actually making some healthy breakfast. He sighed once again; he knew he needed to eat healthier if he wanted to grow. He set some eggs and bacon over, and headed for his closet.

A few minutes later he was sitting at the table, enjoying his breakfast and the quiet morning. He took a quick look over the apartment; there were a few pieces of clothes here and there, but overall it was rather neat. His eyes went over his picture-wall. A smile crept over his lips; there was one of him and Tenten in the ramen stand, taking by Ayame. He really couldn't believe he had gotten such a good friend.

A bit to the left of that was one of his team and him. Kakashi was in the back, looking 'cool' as ever. In front of him was Sakura, trying to look as cute as possible. To her right Sasuke was standing, looking as broody as he could. Finally, to the right of Sakura, was he, wearing a confident smile, and was looking straight into the camera, as to say 'bring it on, world'.

Further to the left of that was one of him and Sakura training. Sakura was throwing one of her mean left hooks at Naruto, whom were bracing himself with a cross-guard. In the background you could see hordes of his Kage Bunshin, training in various subjects.

On top of all the other photos was his ninja registration photo. He frowned a bit '_I'm happy with the photo, but right now I wish I had just let them take a normal one. It doesn't exactly take a genius to figure out that I have some sort of Kekkai Genkai; all they need is one look… No wonder Jiji were hesitant about allowing it. I just hope no one in the exams have found out. It would be nice to have it as an ace. If not… I'll burn that bridge when I reach it.'_

He got up from the table and threw the dishes in the wash. Even he wasn't pressed for time he couldn't be bothered with it. He glanced over at the clock; it showed 9:14 a.m. He still had hours before he was supposed to meet his team. He walked towards the door. He knew he couldn't stay in his 'apartment' for so long. He could just as well use the time walking around in the village.

**- A few hours later -**

Naruto was walking down one of the many streets of Konoha, heading for Ichiraku Ramen. He looked around on the main-road; it was even more crowded than normal. It was the day of the Chunin exams after all, and people from all over the elemental nations had migrated to Konoha during the last weeks, to see what the next generation of shinobi had to offer. Stands were being erected all the way down the road, selling everything from food to charms to betting-coupons. Naruto was currently checking out said stands, and enjoying the lack of glares from the unknowing foreigners.

The whisker-chinned boy took a look at the suns position '_It's about 1:30 p.m. I have to be at the academy at 3 p.m. sharp, and it wouldn't hurt to get there a little earlier and see what kind of Genin we will go up against…'_

"Naruto! Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto turned around to see who were calling him, and a big smile spread out on his face "Iruka-sensei! Long time, no see, huh?"

The scarred academy instructor ran up to his little-brother figure "Yeah, you can say that again. I haven't seen you since after we had that ramen, after your mission to Nami."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and laughed embarrassedly "Sorry about that Iruka-sensei. I have been kind of busy lately, a lot of mission you know"

Iruka grinned at the blond Genin "Yeah, I know. You're only missing a Doton jutsu know, right?"

The Genin in front of Iruka looked at him questioning "What do you mean?"

"You know, your clothes have been soaked by a Suiton, burned by a Katon, crisped by a Raiton, and sliced by futon. So you're only missing a Doton now, right? I wonder what that would do to your clothes"

Naruto's face got red in embarrassment as he glared at his big-brother figure "Who told you!?"

Iruka kept grinning at the smaller Konoha-nin "Oh, just an old monkey"

Naruto knew right away who he was referring to "I'm going to kill you Jiji!"

Iruka was having a real hard time to not laugh, but was holding in it "Well Naruto, now that I have that out of my system, you want to grab some Ichiraku's?"

Naruto wasn't completely over the tease, but eased the glare "I have already had breakfast, but I guess I could go for a bowl or two. I mean, it _is_ Ichiraku's after all."

**- Forty minutes later -**

"Ah, that hit the spot!" Naruto said, as he finished slurping the last of the ramen from the bowl, putting it down on the table, before ordering another. Iruka sweat dropped as of now there was eight empty bowls on the table – and none of them was his.

He shook his head lightly while smiling "and here I thought I could leave without an empty wallet for once. Oh well"

Naruto laughed "Sorry 'bout that sensei"

"You know, you don't have to call me sensei anymore"

Naruto shrugged "for me you will always be Iruka-sensei. That's not ever going to change, not even when I'm the Gondaime Hokage!"

Iruka laughed and ruffled the blond Genin's hair. "Now now, take one step at a time. You first have to make Chunin, remember?"

The whiskered kid nodded vigorously "Yep. But that isn't going to become a problem" he paused "Iruka-sensei"

The blond had changed his tone rather fast, catching the scarred Chunin off-guard "What is it Naruto?"

"Do you have any advice for the Chunin exams? You must've already taken it, obviously" Naruto asked

Iruka got a nostalgic look on his face "Well, the exam changes each time, though the basics remain the same. I can't help you too much, that wouldn't be fair for the other Genin, but this I can tell you. I'm sure you've heard it before, but 'look underneath-"

"'look underneath the underneath', yeah I've heard it before…" Naruto finished his ninth bowl of ramen, slurping and licking it clean "oh well, I better get going now. If I get there before time, I might have a chance of getting some information on the other Genin"

Iruka nodded approvingly and smiled at Naruto "Good luck"

Naruto jumped down from his chair, and showed Iruka one of his most brilliant smiles "Thanks sensei. Just you wait; I'll become Hokage in no time"

/-/-/-/-/

Naruto was walking towards the academy in his own pace – he was after all in good time – when he heard a commotion from one of the café's on the road. Sounded like someone was in a hurry, but Naruto didn't pay much attention to it. That was, until he was just outside the café, and a boy came running towards him and didn't stop. Needless to say, the result was the two boys landing on the road.

"I-I'm so sorry!" the boy who had bumped into Naruto said while bowing apologizing

Naruto got up smiling and dusted himself off "Hey, no sweat. It was just an accident"

"Kouhei! I told you not to threaten him like that!" it came from inside the restaurant

Naruto looked over the boys shoulder "I know that voice…"

And with that two other figures came out from the café; a boy and a girl. "Well, we wouldn't be late if Zabuza-sensei hadn't disappeared like that. Now we have to find the exam building by ourselves" it came from the boy

The girl sighed "I know, but you know ho-"

"Haku!" Naruto half yelled happily

Haku stopped in midsentence and looked at where the voice had come from. When she saw Naruto a big smiled spread on her face "Naruto-kun!" and ran over to him and gave him a big hug, which he happily returned.

She stepped back blushing, a little embarrassed with her forwardness. Naruto for the first time took a good look at her; she really looked like a girl now. She was wearing the same clothes, but she didn't wrap clothes around to hide her breast, and she wore her hair down. He smiled at her "How have you been? Is Zabuza here too?"

She nodded "Yes he is, but I don't exactly know where he is. As for me, I'm doing rather well. Kiri has really changed, and we were accepted with open arms; they were more than happy to see one of the Seven Swordsmen and the last survivor of Yuki clan return. Mizukage-Sama even let him become a sensei, and put me on his team". She continued like that, with Naruto asking a few question here and there, and answering question himself, until there was a loud cough behind her.

"You mind introducing us Haku?" it came from the elder of the two boys

"Sorry, yes of course" Haku mentally bashed herself for forgetting all about her teammates "Naruto, this is my teammates Ringo Kouhei" she motioned to the elder of the boys "and Kurosuki Chojuru" she motioned to the blue-haired boy, who was bowing.

Naruto nodded to them "nice to meet you, I'm Uzumaki Naruto". Kouhei simply nodded at him, his eyes never leaving the Konoha Genin. Naruto didn't miss it, but let it slide for now.

Chojuru was much friendlier "It's nice to finally meet you Naruto-san. Haku has told us much about you"

Naruto smirked to a slightly blushing Haku "She has now, has she?" he paused "now that we've been introduced, do you mind telling me what all the commotion before was about?"

Haku sighed "As you've probably guessed, we're here for the Chunin exams, but Zabuza-Sama left a little while ago, and we only know the exams are supposed to be hold at the academy. But we have no idea where that is"

The whiskered boy smiled at them "I can take you there. I was on my way there myself. It's no far"

"T-thank you Naruto-san" Chojuru said, bowing yet again, making Naruto sweat drop '_This kid needs some more confidence'. _Naruto noticed the suns position, having used way more time than he had planned.

"We better get going if want to get there in time. It's already around half past two" he said as he began walking towards the academy. It was a short trip there; it was only two blocks away.

Haku and her team was walking not far behind him "So, Naruto-san, a-are you and your team participating in the exam too?"

Naruto nodded "You bet we are. You better watch out; we're going to graduate this whole thing with top grades". Kouhei scoffed, causing Naruto to raise an eyebrow "You don't believe we can do it, Ringo-san?"

Kouhei shrugged "Why should you. From what Haku said, you're just rookies."

"K-Kouhei, that wasn't nice" Chojuru said lowly as Haku was looking harshly at their teammate

But it didn't seem to affect Naruto "If you keep thinking like that, you're in for a big surprise. By the way Haku" he said, catching her attention "do you mind keeping my… _gift_ a secret from other teams? It would be nice to have an ace."

She nodded "Sure Naruto-kun"

They walked a little further. "Here we are" Naruto said with a smile, his back to the buildings.

"Naruto!" the voice of his teammate called. Naruto turned to look after his pink-haired friend who were running towards him "Naruto, I thought we decided to get here earlier to get some information on the other teams"

Naruto waved at her "Hey Sakura-chan. Sorry for not being here earlier, but look who I ran into" he said as he stepped aside, revealing Haku.

Sakura's eyebrows rose in recognition "Oh it's you. Haku, right?"

Haku nodded "Hai. And these are my teammates Ringo Kouhei and Kurosuki Chojuru"

Sakura greeted them and turned to Naruto "We should be going now. Sasuke-kun is getting impatient"

Naruto nodded "alright. We'll see you later then"

"S-see you late Naruto-san"

"Yeah, see you Naruto-kun, Sakura-san"

Nothing more was said, as Sakura was towing Naruto after her into the building. A few weeks ago it wouldn't have been a problem for Naruto, but Sakura had gotten a lot stronger. They walked in to a very impatient-looking Sasuke "Where were you dobe? I almost thought you chickened out"

"As if. You're not getting rid of me that easily" Naruto retorted. All he got in return was a scoff as Sasuke started walking towards the stairs. Naruto sighed and followed with Sakura.

They had made it to second floor. Naruto glanced to see if she had noticed what he had. She nodded lightly, only enough for those closest to her to catch on. There was a Genjutsu cast on them as they had walked into the hallway. The question was what it did. Naruto didn't have to look long, as he saw a group of kids standing in front of two others, who were blocking a door to what looked like to be room 301. But they were only on the second floor '_So, the testing starts already now. This must be to weed the weakest out.'_

They heard a thud and a gasp from the crowd. They went to look at what was going on: Lee was sitting on the floor; obviously it was him who had made the thud sound, with Tenten kneeling down beside him. It didn't take long for Naruto to figure out that they were doing what he was planning to do; hide their true strength till they needed it.

"You're trying to make Chunin with that kind of skill? Maybe you should just quit" it came from one of the boys who were blocking the door

"You're just kids after all" it then came from the second.

Tenten got up from her kneeling position "please, let us through". She stepped forward to go between them. But they wouldn't have any of that. The one on the right raised his fist to hit her. She squinted, acting like the amateur they were trying to look like. But instead of the slight pain she had expected, she felt a tuck in her arm, and the feeling of spinning in the air. When she opened her eyes she was in Naruto's arms.

He quickly put her down "Hey Ten-chan. been a while, huh?"

She blinked a few times "Naruto? What are you doing here? Wait, are you guys taking the exam too?"

He nodded "Yeah we are. I would have told you, but I haven't been able to find you the last couple of days"

She nodded thoughtfully, then lowered her voice "Why did you 'rescue' me. You have to know that we are just pretending"

"Of course I know, but I just can't stand by and let one of my most precious persons get hurt – no matter if it's just a bruise on the cheek" he replied. She blushed lightly

"Dobe! First you show up this late, and now you're showing off skills? It was _your_ idea not to let the other Genin in on what we can do. And who is this person?" Sasuke hissed

Tenten looked the raven-haired boy up and down, and saw Sakura standing behind him stealing glances. She leaned over to Naruto, having laid two and two together "Sasuke?"

Naruto sighed with closed eyes "Sasuke"

"Well dobe? What do you have to say for yourself?" Sasuke tried again.

Sakura came up beside him "Come on Sasuke, he was just helping a friend"

Both Naruto and Sasuke looked with shock in their faces on Sakura. It took her a few seconds to figure out why; she had just contradicted what Sasuke had said!

Sasuke scoffed, but let it go "Whatever. Let's just get going"

In the meantime another Genin had tried to pass the two. He got a kick in the stomach and landed on his butt harshly. 'How cruel' it came from one of the Genin.

One of the boy's eyebrow twitched "What did you say? Listen up; we're being kind to you. The Chunin exams are like nothing you have experienced before – it's not just a stroll in the park."

"We have seen Genin who have given up being shinobi, become seriously injured, or even killed in the exams" the other continued

"A Chunin will receive missions where they are the commander. That means they are responsible for any failed missions, or any comrades' death, if it should happen! To think that Genin of your skill level is even trying to enter the exams…" the boy even looked a little disgusted by the notion.

The second boy put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down, and then continued "With that in mind, what's wrong with sifting out those who aren't going to pass anyway? It would spare a lot of people a lot of time."

Sasuke stepped forward "That's a sound argument, but I will pass." He paused a second "And undo the Genjutsu field, it's rather annoying, I want to go to the third floor". Naruto sighed once again '_you just had to point that out, huh Sasuke? They're kind of right; if these Genin can't discover such a low level Genjutsu, then they don't have what it takes to become Ch__u__nin._

The other Genin had other thoughts running through their heads. They had no idea what he was talking about; they were on the third floor. You could see it by the room number; it was 301, not 201.

The two boys seemed disappointed that their trick hadn't fooled everyone "So you noticed"

It was Sakura who spoke up "Of course we noticed it. You don't expect to fool everyone with a low-level Genjutsu like that, do you? We are only on the second floor"

As soon as she said it the boys released the Genjutsu. No reason to keep a jutsu up which fools no-one. The first boys' posture changed; whereas before it was just taunting, this said that he had no problem with getting into a fight. The boy smirked "You're pretty good, but that won't be enough" he said and took off. Sasuke was never one to say no to a fight and took off as well. Their kicks were just about to hit the other when a green blur stopped them; Lee. Sasuke eyes shot open in surprise '_He's fast. And he is different from the person who was just hit moments ago'_.

Neji came over to the group, having stood with lee before "You two broke your promise". He looked at Lee "It was you who didn't want to draw attention by doing something that stands out."

Lee didn't answer but just took a look at Sakura. Tenten sighed "Sakura again? I think she has made it pretty clear that she isn't interested"

Neji looked Sasuke over "Hey you there. Identify yourself"

Sasuke didn't look faced by Neji's attitude "You're supposed to introduce yourself, first you know". With that the two Genin started a game of wits, trying to get the other to tell their name first.

Naruto leaned to Tenten "So, Neji?"

She nodded "Neji"

"Sasuke-kun, Naruto, let's go. We need to be there soon" Sakura said. Naruto bid Tenten and Lee farewell, and walked with Sakura and Sasuke up the stairs.

/-/-/-/-/

They reached the third floor not long after, to find Kakashi standing in front of the doors to the examination room. He looked his team in the eyes; each of them was filled with determination, even Sakura's, a look more and more common in her eyes. He clapped his book closed "Good, you've all showed up. You can now enter the Chunin exams"

Naruto didn't miss how he had said it "And what would have happened if only two or one of us had showed?"

"You wouldn't be able to enter. You can only enter the Chunin exams in teams of three. Some exceptions are made, but none of you are qualified for them. But none of that matters now; you have all showed, and you can enter. Good luck" he said and stepped aside.

They stepped inside and were shocked at what they saw. There must have been more than a hundred Genin staring at them right now, or more like glaring. Naruto looked at Sakura whom showed real nerves. He gently tapped her on the arm to get her attention; they looked at each other and nodded. It seemed to help her. She looked back at them '_They all look so strong. And as Naruto said; we are just rookies. They all have more experience than we'._

"Sasuke-kun, you're late!" a seducing voice sounded, bringing all three out of their respective thoughts. Ino jumped at Sasuke hugging him, and making sure her asset were firmly pressed against his back "I've been eagerly waiting for you, ever since I heard that you would be participating in the exams too. It has been such a long time since I've seen you!"

Sakura was glaring right at Ino, who hadn't even had the decency to notice Naruto or Sakura "Get away from Sasuke-kun, Ino-pig!"

Ino responded with a just a deadly glare "oh my, it's you, Sakura. Your forehead is as wide as ever, and you're still… What the hell happened to you!?"

First Naruto was confused at the response. He took a quickly at Sakura; she looked as pretty as always, or what? He took a closer look; she did look different than in the academy. She wasn't as skinny as before, not that she was fat, but she had muscles now. Not bulging muscles, but you could see she had trained. Sakura just scoffed "It's called training, Ino-pig. Maybe you should try it sometimes?" Ino just stuck her tongue out at Sakura, still clinging to Sasuke.

"What, are you three going to take this troublesome exam too?" a new voice sounded. Naruto immediately recognized it as Shikamaru, heir to the Nara clan.

"What? You don't think we can do it, Shikamaru?" Naruto responded

Shikamaru sighed, mumbling something that sounded like 'troublesome blond'. Beside him stood Chouji munching on a bag of chips.

"Yeah, I found the whole pack" half yelled another voice. Naruto turned to see Kiba and his team standing behind him "So I see that everyone is here."

"Hello…" Hinata said in a very low voice. Naruto noticed and look her directly in her eyes, until she blushed and looked away. Last there was Shino, just standing there, not letting any emotion show.

"What? So you made it too? Troublesome…" it came from Shikamaru

Kiba grinned "I see, so all the nine Genin rookies are going to take the exam. We will rock it!" Naruto cringed lightly; Kiba was speaking _really_ loud, catching the attention of the whole room. They would get enough attention as it was, just by being the only rookies this year, they didn't need to seem dump too.

"Dog-breath, keep your voice down! You're drawing unwanted attention to us!" Naruto hissed. The other rookies looked at him like he had grown a second head; he had actually said something that made sense.

But Kiba wasn't convinced "yeah right, as if you could figure something like that out, dead-last"

Naruto glared at Kiba; he had always picked on Naruto in the academy, and it didn't seem like that had changed "If you keep thinking like that, you won't last long". There was a silence as the two glared at each other.

"Hey you guys" yet another voice called. They turned to see an older silver-haired Genin walking their way "You should keep quiet. You're drawing attention to yourself"

"See?" Naruto said to Kiba. He only got a glare in response.

The silver-haired looked at the rookie 9 "I'm Yakushi Kabuto. You must be the nine rookies that just graduated from the academy a few months ago, correct? You're all fooling around with those cute faces… Geez, this isn't a field trip"

"And why should we trust you? As you just said; this isn't a field trip. Don't trust anyone, and don't expect to be trusted" Naruto said, again getting looks from his old class-mates

Kabuto smiled "You're right, but I'm also a Konoha Genin" he said, tapping his hitai-ate as proof "I just thought I would give you some advice, since this is your first exam. But if that isn't enough, take a look around"

And so they did; almost every team were looking their way, listening intently at what they were saying. Naruto caught glimpse of Haku and her team, and nodded at them, the same with Tenten. Then he saw a team from Kumo, or more exactly, one of the Genin. She was tall, probably three years older than him. They got into eye-contact, and a sort of trance just started. Naruto was memorized by the eyes, or more likely the look in her eyes. It was as they had known each other for years. He also felt that same familiarity, he had felt with that Gaara guy.

"…to. Naruto! There you are" Sakura said, hitting him a bit on the shoulder to get his attention.

He blinked a few times and looked at his female teammate "huh? Something wrong, Sakura?"

Sakura looked at him "You just spaced out. Did something happen?"

Naruto shook his head, trying to get it back on track "No, nothing happened. Sorry"

Sakura turned back to Kabuto. "Kabuto-san, was it?" she asked, receiving a nod "is this your second time, then?"

"No. It's my seventh time" the rookies were stunned. "These exams only take place twice every year, and it's my fourth year."

"That would mean you know a lot about the exams, right?" Sakura asked

"Right" Kabuto smiled

Shikamaru wasn't so convinced "but he hasn't passed yet. He can't be that good"

"Or it means that the exams are harder than you think" he retorted, resulting in another 'troublesome' from Shikamaru.

"But as I said, I'm here to help you" he took out a set of cards "all the times I have been in these exams I have gathered information on the different Genin teams, and the Genin themselves. Just ask for anyone you want to know something about, and I'll tell you"

Sasuke weren't going to let free information slide by "then show me Gaara of Suna, Rock Lee of Konoha, and… Uzumaki Naruto, also of Konoha". Naruto send him a quick glare '_great, if Kabuto knows just a little of my skills, it's not going to stay a secret much longer. It doesn't seem like there isn't one team who's not listening in'._

"Oh, you know their names" Kabuto said, almost sounding disappointed "then this won't take much time". There was dead-silent in the room while he took the three cards, only the sound of Chouji munching his chips remained. "Here we go. First let's see Rock Lee: He's one year older than you guys. Mission experience; 30 D-rank and 19 C-rank ones. The squad leader is Maito Gai, the green beast of Konoha, his teammates are Higarashi Tenten, weapon-master, and Hyuuga Neji, prodigy of his clan". Hinata tensed up at the mention of her cousin, making Naruto frown. Was she afraid of going up against her own family? He brushed it off. Kabuto continued "his Taijutsu skills have increased dramatically this past year since he graduated, but his other skills are close to none existent. He got everyone's attention last year as a skilled rookie Genin, but he didn't take the Chunin exams. This is his first time taking it, like you."

"Next let's see Gaara of the Desert; he is the same age as you guys. Mission experience; eight C-rank ones and… This is amazing! He did a B-rank mission as a Genin. I don't know how many D-rank he did, as this is his first time taking the exams, and he isn't from Konoha. And the same reason is why I can't tell you his skills. I don't know his squad leaders name either, but his teammates are his siblings; Kankuro and Temari. They are all the children of the current Kazekage, Yondaime Kazekage-Sama. There is one more thing I should tell you, though it's just a rumor. It seems that he has returned from all of his missions unharmed."

The rookies were again stunned. "He did a B-rank mission as a Genin, and completed it _unharmed_?"

"And last, let's see Uzumaki Naruto; he is the same age as you, as you very well know. Mission experience; wow, 21 D-rank, 5 C-rank and… 2 A-rank ones, in only the few months since you graduated." For the third time in less than half an hour, Naruto received disbelieving looks from the other rookies. Kabuto continued "The squad leader is Hatake Kakashi, also known as Sharingan no Kakashi; his teammates are Uchiha Sasuke, the last loyal Uchiha, and Haruno Sakura, the top Kunoichi of her year. He himself graduated as the dead-last. His Genjutsu skills are below average, he is only able to dispel them, not cast them. This is because of his enormous Kage-level chakra reserves. His Taijutsu is above average, but nothing to take note off, and his Ninjutsu is well over average, using his Kekkai Genkai, Shoton." This time he got even more disbelieving looks, even from his own team. He paid no attention to it, only glaring at the person who had revealed close to all of his skills to the whole room.

"Why thank you Kabuto. Why don't you say it a little louder? I'm not sure the Kusa team in the other end of the room heard it!" the blond Genin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"No, we heard it" it came from the other end of the room, making Naruto and the other rookies sweat drop.

But Kabuto wasn't done "It also seems like he has an incredible healing-rate. He heals from scratches within minutes, broken bones within a day, and he doesn't seem to get sick." Naruto looked at the older Genin in front of him with disbelief. How did this person, who he had _never_ met, know all of his secrets? Well, all but one. Even if he did, he wouldn't be stupid enough to reveal it. That's what he thought, until Kabuto was about to make one of his worst fears come true "it is thought the reason for his healing-rate is because-"

Naruto's eyes shot open in fear, before he let instinct take over. He grabbed Kabuto before he could finish the sentence, and slammed him into the wall. Crystals quickly formed around his wrist and legs, sticking him to the wall, while two smaller crystal blades formed close to his throat, inches from killing him. Many from the room looked surprised and shocked at the development, none more than the rookies. Sakura was probably the one who were most surprised; she had trained and hung out, and actually liked it, with him for months, and never once had he pulled something like this off. Normally Ino would have scolded Naruto by now, but she was mesmerized by the crystals at Naruto's command, as many others in the room.

Naruto, with his hand still pressing Kabuto to the wall, took the card out of the silver-haired Genin's hand and read it. He knew about the Kyuubi. '_But how? He can't be more than seven-teen. He wasn't old enough to be there, or have been told, when it happened.'_ He leaned close into Kabuto to whisper in his ear "You might as well thank me, Kabuto-_san_. I have just saved you for a very uncomfortable death. What you were about to reveal is an S-rank secret. I don't know _how_ you found out, but I'll make sure the Hokage himself knows of it."

The sand siblings were standing halfway through the room, but they had a clear view. Temari stared at the crystal, the clockwork in her head churning "I knew it"

Kabuto turned to his sister "You knew what?"

"You don't notice anything, do you?" she scolded lightly "That is the Genin we ran into a week ago"

Kabuto didn't like being scolded like that from his big-sister "Well, it is a _little_ difficult to notice stuff when you have your head stuffed into the road!" he hissed back.

Temari sighed "When he handled you" she got a glare from Kankuro "he seemed to summon a kunai out of thin air. I have been trying to figure out how he did it. He must have used his Kekkai Genkai… We should watch out for him"

"We don't need to do such things. If he crossed my path, mother will be happy to swim in his blood" Gaara said while looking hungrily at the blond Genin from Konoha.

Team Gai were already sitting at a writing table. Neji looked interested for a second but dropped it "Tenten, isn't that your friend?"

Tenten tore her eyes away from the scene; she was just as surprised as Sakura, to look at her teammate "Yes, he is".

"Did you know about his Kekkai Genkai?" Neji asked in an emotionless voice

She hesitated "Yes, I did"

Neji shot her a glare "And why didn't you think it was necessary to tell us?"

"Because he is my friend, and I promised I wouldn't talk about it, until it was public knowledge… which I guess it is now" she responded, not wavering a second.

The Hyuuga prodigy was about to retort when Lee intervened "Neji, calm down. While she maybe should have told us, given the circumstances, she didn't because of a friend. That is the best excuse you could have". Neji scoffed, but let it slide, as he retracted into his emotionless shell again. Tenten mouthed a 'thank you' to Lee, who nodded at her.

In another place in the room the only Kumo team stood. "You think this is what Raikage-Sama was talking about? He said that while this is a diplomatic mission, we needed to look out, because there had been rumors about Konoha getting a new Kekkai Genkai?" Karui whispered to her two teammates.

Omoi, who was serious for once, responded "I think we can be pretty sure about that. And he looks like he has some degree of control over it. What do you think Yugito?"

The third member was still staring at the whiskered kid from Konoha '_What is it about him? There is something…'_

"Yugito-chan? Are you there?" Karui asked

Yugito blinked "Yeah, I think we can be sure it's him. We need to report it to Samui when we can".

Back with Naruto and Kabuto, the silver-haired Genin gulped "I guess I'll give you my thanks."

"I guess so" he responded with a glare. He stepped back, and with an unseen command, the crystal shattered. He then held the card up for Kabuto to see, then crystallized it and shattered it as well "you won't need this anymore."

A smoke-cloud expanded in the far end of the room "Quiet down you punks!" drawing the attention from the rookies. Little by little the cloud dispersed to reveal a bunch of Konoha shinobi. The front most seemed to be one who had spoken up "Sorry to keep you waiting. I am the examiner of the first test of the Chunin exams, Morino Ibiki." He pointed directly at Naruto "You from Konoha, don't think you can do anything you want before the exam. Do you want to be failed before it even starts?"

Naruto bowed "I'm sorry Morino-san, it won't happen again"

Ibiki didn't let show he heard it "this is a good chance to say this… You are not allowed to fight each other during the exam, unless given permission by the examiners. And if the permission is given, you can't kill each other, unless that has been expressed as well by the examiner. Anyone who doesn't follow the rules of the exams will fail immediately, understood?" No one contradicted him "The first part of the Chunin exams will began. Turn in your applications, and take one of these tags. Sit where the number tells you to. Then we will pass out the papers for the written exam."

Naruto got in line to turn in his application. He got number 53; he wasn't sitting anywhere near his teammates '_Well, I guess that's clear why. We can't sit next to the people we are in teams with'_. He looked to his right side to find Hinata '_at least there is one person I know nearby'._ He looked on his desk; there was his paper turned over, the backside facing up, a pencil, an eraser and a pencil-sharpener. He sighed; while he had gotten smarter, he still hated written exams.

He was brought out of his thoughts when Ibiki tapped a charcoal on the blackboard "This first exam has a few important rules. I will not accept any questions, so listen carefully…" he let it sink in as he started writing on the blackboard "First rule is you all are given 10 points at the start. The written exam consists of 10 questions, and each is worth one point; the test is a deduction based test. If you get one problem wrong, you will get one point deducted. So, if you get three problems wrong, your points will be reduced to seven…" He let the Genin in the room think about it for a few seconds "Second rule; the pass-fail decision will be determined by your team's total points." Just at that moment, Sakura was so relieved that she wasn't on team with the old Naruto. Ibiki didn't stop "Third rule; if an examiner determines that you have cheated, or done something similar during the test, the action will cause you to lose two points… In other words, there will be people who will be forced to leave this place without their test being graded. Those who try to cheat without thinking carefully first, will only hurt themselves and their teams." He paused again "You are trying to become Chunin, so start acting like one… And last; if anyone in the team gets a zero, everyone on that team will fail." Yes, Sakura was _really_ happy she wasn't on team with the old Naruto. "The last problem will be given 45 minutes after the exam begins. You have one hour for the exam. Begin!"

The room was filled with the sound of papers turning, before falling dead silent. Naruto looked at the paper in front of him, and after he read the questions, got a little worried. Out of the nine questions, he thought that he _maybe_ would be able to answer on three. He looked around him, to see horror filled faces. He turned his attention back to his paper '_Ok, question three: 'How far, and how fast, can you throw a standard kunai, not using any chakra of any kind, based on Kimrai's Law of air currents?' I know I have read this somewhere before…'_

Thirty-five minutes had passed. There had already been fourteen teams who had been caught cheating. Naruto had only two solved problems, with one of them being a guess at best '_How is anyone able to answer these questions!? These are not for Genin-level shinobi. Sakura might be able to answer them all, but she is a freak of nature in that department… You just can't answer these questions without cheating! Okay Naruto, calm down. What was it Ibiki said? 'Those who try to cheat without thinking first'…'_ he thought about it for a minute or two '_that is it! He wants us to cheat! Of course, it all makes sense now; he must be testing out ability to gather information within limited time. The question now is how do I cheat without getting caught?'_ As Naruto had come to that conclusion, he looked around in the room. Just as he had thought, people were cheating; the Hyuuga had their Byakugan activated, Sasuke had his Sharingan activated, Tenten was using mirrors. '_Mirrors… Maybe, just maybe, will it work'._

He looked around to see if any of the examiners were looking his way; none was. Very subtle he made the ram seal under the table. He closed his eyes to concentrate. Very slowly little mirrors appeared around the room; one on his table, one on the ceiling above his table, and around the room. Now he wanted to see Sakura's test; she was the one he trusted the most to have the right answers. He was sure there were Chunin, or maybe even Jounin, in here, with the right answers, but he didn't know who they were. So he went with Sakura. Very carefully he turned the different mirrors, until he could see Sakura in the mirror on the table. He turned the last mirror a bit more, and there. He could now see her test, and as he thought, she was now finishing her solution on the last of her questions. He quickly wrote down the answers, and very carefully broke the crystal mirrors down, little by little, to avoid making noise. With that done, he waited the last minutes until the tenth question was revealed.

A few minutes later, Ibiki grinned. He was standing the exact same spot, as when he had told the rules of the exam. Naruto thought he was scary as hell, but he had some talent. Ibiki spoke up "looks like we've already dropped the incompetent ones. I will now give the problem, since 45 minutes have already have passed. So listen up! This is the tenth and final problem!" The room was dead-silent, all awaiting the last problem "But before I do, there's one thing I must say… There will be one special rule for this last question."

Just as he was about to tell the rule, the door opened, and in walked Kankuro and a guard. Ibiki smirked "you're lucky. Your puppet show didn't have to go to a waste." Shock was written all over his face; he hadn't expected anyone to know about his Karasu puppet. Ibiki closed his eyes "Oh well, sit down." Kankuro walked to his seat, discreetly dropping a piece of rolled up paper on his sisters table, and sat down.

"I will now explain" Ibiki continued. "This is a hopeless rule… First, you are all going to choose if you wish to take this tenth problem or not." That caught everyone's attentions.

It was Temari of Suna who spoke up "Choose? So what happens if we don't take the tenth problem?"

"If you choose not to take it" Ibiki replied "your points will be reduced to zero. In other words; you and your team will fail." A lot of murmur caused through the room "And here is the other rule". The room fell silent again "If you choose to take it, and you get it wrong, you will lose the privilege to take the Chunin exams forever!"

Kiba couldn't take it anymore. He had held in an outburst for way to long "What the hell!? There should be those here who have taken the exams in the past!"

Naruto started to get really scared, when Ibiki started laughing lightly. Chills ran down his back, and he swore he saw the Shinigami behind Ibiki. "You were unlucky" he finally said "This year I am the one making the rules. That is why I gave you the option of quitting. Those who are not confident, can choose not to take it, and just take the exam later this year, or the exam after that…" Naruto looked around finding worried faces everywhere. He looked at Sasuke and Sakura; he was relieved that they didn't seem to want to quit. But he caught sight of Hinata, doing something with her fingers, and the worried look in her eyes. He looked back at Ibiki "Let us begin. Those who do not want to receive the tenth problem, raise your hands. After we confirm your numbers, we will have you leave."

First no one raised their hands. Just as Naruto was beginning to think no one would, the person on his left rose from his seat "I… I… I won't take the question!"

"Number 50, fail" it sounded from one of the examiners. "Number 130 and 111, fail along with him". And with that, the dam was open. More and more raised their hands, quitting. Slowly, one by one, the room thinned out. Naruto didn't have a problem with it, that is, until Hinata started to raise her hand. What could he do?

He quickly formulated a plan, and started to raise his hand, surprising both his teammates. He then slammed it into the table "You know what? Screw you! I'm not going to run away! I'll take the problem! Even if I become a Genin forever, I'm going to become the Hokage, no matter what! I'm not scared!" he sat down again. He winched mentally; he knew this was how he used to talk all the time. He really had to go and apologize to Iruka when he could; even he couldn't be around a person yelling all the time. But his plan had worked: Hinata, and everyone else thinking about quitting, now only had confidence left.

"I will ask one more time" Ibiki said "this is _the_ choice that will impact your life. If you want to quit, now is the chance."

Naruto leaned back in his chair, looking straight into Ibiki's eyes "I am not going back on my word. That's _my_ way of the ninja."

Ibiki smiled '_What a kid. He wiped out everyone's uncertainty. 84 students, eh? There's more left than I expected… Looks like there's no point in waiting any longer'._ He glanced over at the other examiners; they all nodded to him. He took a deep breath "Nice determination. Then… For the first exam, everyone here… Passes!"

Everyone was stunned. Sakura couldn't stop herself anymore "wait, what's the meaning of that? We pass already? What about the tenth problem?"

Ibiki showed a big smile, making everyone get goose bumps "there was no such thing to begin with. Or you can call the two-choice question the tenth problem."

"Hey!" everyone turned their attention to Temari "So what were those previous nine problems?! It was all a waste!"

"No it was not" the scarred examiner replied "The nine problems accomplished their purpose: to test each individual's information gathering skills. First, this test's purpose lies in the first rule… Your pass-fail decision is based on your three person teams. By giving the idea, we have given you an unprecedented amount of pressure, to try and not be a nuisance to your team… But these test problems cannot be solved by your average Genin. So, most of the people here must have come to the conclusion 'I have to cheat to get points'. In other words, this exam assumed that everyone was going to cheat. So, we snuck two Chunin in, who knew the answers, to be targets of cheating.

"Two people raised their hands "But those who cheated like a fool failed, of course. Why?" Ibiki untied his bandana, to show his scalp full of scars. "Information can have greater value than life at times and in missions and battlefields… Information is contested with the lives of people." People took a good look, before he tied his bandana on again "The information that an enemy gets after being noticed by a third person, will not necessarily be accurate. Remember this: getting incorrect information can cause great damage to your teammates, and village. So, we made you all gather information in the form of cheating. We kicked out those who were lacking in that field. That's what went on."

Temari had followed this far, but she still had one problem "But I still can't agree to that on the last problem…"

"But this tenth problem was the main problem of the first exam." Ibiki saw the confused looks on many, but a knowing look at Naruto "let me explain. The tenth question was a 'take or not take' choice. Needless to say, it was a painful two-choice problem. Those who did not take it, failed with their teams. If you chose to take it, and could not answer it, your right to ever taking the exam would be taken away… It was a very insincere problem."

"I still don't get it" it came from Temari.

This time Naruto spoke up "it's rather simple, really. When you become Chunin, you will get missions with you as captain. Thus it will be you who are responsible, and you are the one to make the decision. Let's say you get a mission, where you are against innumerable odds; you can choose to go, even when the odds are against you, and save your village, but risking you and your team's life. Or, you can choose not to go, but risk your whole village"

Realization struck everyone in the room. Ibiki nodded "You are correct. Just because your life and the lives of your teammates may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is no! There are missions that carry heavy risks, but cannot be avoided. The ability to show your courage to your teammates when needed and the ability to get through a bad situation… That is what we look for in a Chunin, a squad leader. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when given the chance, because there is a tomorrow, a next week, a next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future… Fools who only carry a light determination like that have no right to become a Chunin. That is what I believe." He looked over the crowd, who were sucking up every word, like it was heroin, and they were addicts "I am saying that you here who have chosen to take the tenth problem, gave the right answer for a difficult question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face; you have broken through the entrance. The first exam of the Chunin selection ends now! I wish you luck."

No longer than three seconds later did a ball of cloth crash through the window. A hand threw two kunai to the ceiling, revealing a banner that said 'Second examiner, sexy and dangerous Mitarashi Anko, is here!' In front of it stood a very provoking-clothed woman with purple hair "Everyone, there's no time to be happy. I am the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko! Let's go to the next exam!"


	10. Second exam start! Enemies all around!

**Chapter 10: Second Exam Starts! Enemies all around!**

/-/-/-/-/

_Realization struck everyone in the room. Ibiki nodded "You are correct. Just because your life and the lives of your teammates may be in danger, are you able to avoid dangerous missions? The answer is no! There are missions that carry heavy risks, but cannot be avoided. The ability to show your courage to your teammates when needed and the ability to get through a bad situation… That is what we look for in a Chunin, a squad leader. Those who cannot bet their fate in a critical situation, those who give up when given the chance, because there is a tomorrow, a next week, a next year, and let their minds sway over an uncertain future… Fools who only carry a light determination like that have no right to become a Chunin. That is what I believe." He looked over the crowd, who were sucking up every word, like it was heroin, and they were addicts "I am saying that you here who have chosen to take the tenth problem, gave the right answer for a difficult question. You can deal with the difficulties you will face; you have broken through the entrance. The first exam of the Chunin selection ends now! I wish you luck."_

_No longer than three seconds later did a ball of cloth crash through the window. A hand threw two kunai to the ceiling, revealing a banner that said 'Second examiner, sexy and dangerous Mitarashi Anko, is here!' In front of it stood a very provoking-clothed woman with purple hair "Everyone, there's no time to be happy. I am the second examiner, Mitarashi Anko! Let's go to the next exam!"_

/-/-/-/-/

She was standing with pumped fist up in the air, starring out on the stunned crowd. Ibiki came out from behind the banner and said deadpanned "grasp the atmosphere".

Naruto was staring at her with wide eyes. He glanced over at Sakura, an unspoken question going between them, as she nodded. Naruto sighed; this _was_ how he was.

Anko looked over the crowd "84? Ibiki, did you let 28 teams pass? The first exam must've been too soft"

Ibiki didn't let it faze him "Or, it could be that there are a lot of excellent students this time"

Anko didn't really look like she believed him "Oh well… Not to worry; I'm going to make more than half the teams fail in the next exam." Shocked looks were to be seen through the Genin's, making Anko smirk hungrily "I'm getting excited. I will explain the details tomorrow. We will go somewhere else, so ask your Jounin-sensei about the rally point and time. That is all. Dismissed!"

/-/-/-/-/

Kabuto was walking down a dark alleyway, glancing over his shoulder from time to time. It was clear that whatever he was doing, it wasn't something anyone could find out about. He picked up his pace, and entered one of the warehouses in the area. It was dark and damp, hardly any light entered through the crackled windows

"Were you followed?" a voice sounded. Kabuto couldn't locate it at first, but then saw two yellow slit eyes light up in the dark "Well?"

Kabuto kneeled down on one knee "No, Orochimaru-Sama, I don't believe I was"

Silence was between them, as Orochimaru watched one of Sasori's former spies. Kabuto kept kneeling until he was told otherwise. Finally Orochimaru spoke "How did it go?"

Kabuto didn't look up as he spoke "He reacted just as you planned for him to do – more so than I would have expect. But I _was_ about to reveal one of his and Konoha's closest guarded secrets… He really is something, the Kyuubi Jinchurriki"

"That he is the Kyuubi Jinchurriki, though interesting, isn't what I'm most interested in. You know as well as I that the Bijuu are hard to control and that the Jinchurriki need years of training to even begin and control their tenant. No, what's truly interesting me is his ability… I have only seen it in one person before… In _her_." Kabuto's mask of indifference cracked as his eyebrow twitched. It was clear he didn't think well of the person his master was speaking of. It didn't go unnoticed, but the snake Sannin didn't delve into it.

The snake summoner seemed to be considering something, finally speaking "I think I will see for myself how much this Uzumaki Naruto is worth, after I have checked up on my dear Sharingan bearer… Kabuto, continue to keep a low cover. We won't be in Konoha for much longer, and it wouldn't do good to be exposed this late into the operation"

Kabuto nodded "Hai"

"Dismissed" the leader of Oto commanded

/-/-/-/-/

**- The next day -**

The Genin that had passed yesterday's test were now standing in front of a big fenced forest. If you looked in though the fence, you could see what looked like half-rotten tree's housing big animals, which slithered in and out of the shadows. Naruto knew this place all too well; he had used a training ground close by, and after one look through the fence, and the signs with 'forbidden area' and 'Warning – you may die', he had decided never to walk through one of the gates… until now that is

"This sure is a creepy place" Sakura said. But whereas a few months ago she would have looked freaked out, now she just looked disgusted. Naruto nodded in agreement

Anko was standing between the crowd and the fence. She smirked; she loved how scared all the bra- all the Genin looked "You will be able to experience on first hand, why this place is called 'the Forest of Death'." Naruto tried not to, but couldn't help it; he let out a scoff. Even if this place was creepy as hell, he had seen way worse. Anko didn't care for that, and faster than any of most of the Genin could see, threw a kunai towards Naruto. But Naruto isn't any Genin, as his reflexes were in top condition; he grabbed the airborne kunai, spun around, and parried the one held by Anko, now standing in the middle of the Genin group.

She was impressed by the boy's actions, but didn't let it show "You know, boys like you are always the first to die in there. Lots and lots of beasts just waiting to eat you for breakfast"

Naruto just smirked back, and leaned in closer "I'm sure they are, but they will have to wait a little longer. Beast such as those in there doesn't scare me. After all, I have the worst of them sealed in my stomach". She nodded at him, and they stopped their little contest. They both knew she would win if they kept at it. Even if Naruto was a very skilled Genin, he still was a Genin, and didn't stand a chance against a tokubetsu jounin as Anko. Whispers went through the crowd

"I can't believe he actually caught it!"

"Yeah, did you see how fast that thing was flying?"

"I don't think I want to go up against him"

Naruto smiled to himself. He didn't think he would get the chance so soon. Since Kabuto had exposed many of his talents, though not the specific jutsu, he had changed tactics. Since he couldn't hide his talent, he had to make sure everyone knew how strong he was, and hopefully scare them off. Sakura nodded at him; he had already told his team what he was planning, the evening before. She looked back at Anko, who was walking up in front of the crowd again '_Even if that helped Naruto, what is with that examiner? She is totally whacked, to not say dangerous'._

The tokubetsu jounin looked over the exam-takers "Before we begin the second exam, I'm going to pass out these to everyone." She took out a stack of papers "These are consent forms, and those planning on taking this exam must sign one."

"And why is that?" a Genin from Ame asked

Anko looked happy that someone asked, a little too happy for Naruto's taste, as she said "From here on, people _will_ die. Therefore, we need people's consent before we continue, so I, and thus Konoha, will be held responsible for the deaths." She laughed as if she just told a little joke. She waved dismissingly "Now enough of that. I will begin the explanation of the second exam. To be concise, you will all go through an extremely intense survival match" she said, as she handed the papers to Naruto, who took one and send it to the next Genin.

Shikamaru took a look on the paper he had gotten '_Survival match? What a troublesome exam…'_

Anko rolled out a little map "I'll explain the training area's geographical features. The 44th training area is a circular region, surrounded by 44 locked gate entrances. There is a river, a forest, and a tower in the middle. The tower is approximately 10 kilometers away from all the gates. Inside the limited space, you will have to go through a certain survival program. The program consists of… A competition where anything goes… Over these scrolls" she held up another two scrolls for all to see.

"Scrolls?" a Konoha Genin asked

Anko nodded "Yeah scrolls. There are two kinds; the Scroll of Heaven, and the Scroll of the Earth. You will fight over these scrolls." She paused as she put the scrolls away again "28 teams in total passed the first exam. Half of those teams will the scroll of Heaven, and the other half will get the Scroll of the Earth. Each team will get one of these scrolls. And you simply have to fight over these."

"And?" Sasuke asked "What's needed to pass?"

"Bring the Scrolls of Heaven and Earth to the tower with your teammates" she answered

"In other words" Sakura thought out loud for all to hear "the 14 teams or half the people here, that get their scroll stolen will fail."

Anko nodded "right you are. But it needs to be done within the time limit. This second exam has a limit of 120 hours, or exactly five days.

"Five days!?" Ino asked in a high pitching voice

"What about food!?" Chouji asked as if the sky was falling.

Anko shrugged "Not my problem. You could find it in the forest- it's a treasure box of nature. There should be plenty of food."

"However" Kabuto said "there are also a lot of man-eating beasts, poison bugs, and poisonous, man-eating plants."

"No…" Chouji said disheartened

"Idiot! That's why it's called a _survival_ match" Ino scolded

"Also" it came from Neji "it is possible that it's less than the 13 teams that pass"

Lee looked excited to try it out "And as time passes, you will be required to move more. So, the time to rest your body will become shorter. This seems quite rough."

"And we're surrounded by enemies. So when we finally do sleep, we won't be able to do so in peace" Naruto finished. A silence overcame the Genin, as they all thought about the possibilities.

"People will get hurt in the process of fighting over a scroll" Anko continued "and those who cannot bear the shinobi program's strictness will also emerge."

Shikamaru raised his hand "Excuse me, can we quit in between?"

Anko frowned "as a rule, you are not allowed to give up during the exam. You _will_ spend the five days in the forest."

"Just as I thought…" Shikamaru sighed "How troublesome…"

"While we're on this topic, here are the conditions that will fail you." Silence fell over the crowd again "First, a team that cannot bring both scrolls to the tower, with the whole team alive, will fail. Second, the team that loses a teammate or produces an unrecoverable teammate will fail. Also, just as a note; you are not allowed to look inside the scrolls until you reach the tower. If you do? Well, that's a surprise you'll see when you look at it… If you become a Chunin, you will be handling top secret documents. So this test is also to determine your reliability."

"That is it for the explanation. We will exchange three consent forms for one scroll at that hut" she pointed at said hut "And after have gotten to your assigned gate entrance; everyone will start at the same time." Anko looked like she wasn't sure she should tell more, but finally let in with a sigh "I guess I should give you one last piece of advice… Don't die!"

/-/-/-/-/

The members of Team 7 were standing in front of Gate 12. They had been some of the first to turn in their consent forms, not wanting to linger around the larger group. They were now waiting for the Chunin in front of them to open to gate; it was to be opened at 12:30 exactly, down to the second. They were all tense.

"Naruto, Sasuke-kun, wha-" was all Sakura could say before Naruto cut her off

"Not now Sakura-chan, wait till we're inside. We will find a place to get things sorted out." It took her a few seconds to figure out that Naruto wanted to wait with this talk till they were inside – they couldn't take any chances. For once Sasuke agreed with Naruto, so Sakura nodded at them. They went back to being silent and tense.

The Chunin in front of looked at his clock and unlocked the gate. Team 7 was getting ready to sprint off at full speed. It wasn't long after that, that they heard the crazy snake lady's voice resonating through the air

"We will now begin the Chunin Selection's Second Exam! TRY NOT TO DIE MAGGOTS!"

And the gates shot open, and the three Konoha Genin took off at full speed, leaping to the trees, the element they were most used to. They didn't stop for about fifteen minutes, only caring about getting into the forest, and away from everyone and anyone. They came to a small clearing when they finally came to a hold. Naruto quickly created about a dozen of his Kage Bunshin, and send them to be lookouts throughout the area.

"Good, now we can talk" Naruto said. He looked at Sasuke "Which scroll was it we got again?"

"The Scroll of Heaven" Sasuke replied, taking out the scroll.

Naruto nodded "ok then. We need to settle a few things; what do we do from here, how do we recognize each other, and where do we hide the scroll"

Sasuke shot him a glare "Who put you in charge, dobe?"

Naruto shrugged "No one did teme. If you want to take charge, then fine. We just need to be fast. We can't stay in one place for too long." Sasuke still glared at him, but didn't object, so Naruto continued "I already have an idea of how we can recognize each other." Naruto went took out a scroll, where the center was a pen-case and pen. He put his hand out for Sakura to take "I'm going to put a seal on all of us"

Sakura carefully laid her arm in Naruto's hand, and he began drawing on the top of her arm, she bit her lip not to giggle from the touch of the soft brush. She was impressed by the seal "So, what does it do?"

"Well, I can't really explain it in detail, you wouldn't understand it to be frankly, but what it does is make a 'pull' in the mind, so you will know where the sibling seals are" Naruto explained. He saw the worry in her face, and smiled amused "No, it won't last forever. It can't be washed off easily, but this ink will slowly decay. Give it a week and a half, two at most. And they only work in close proximity, but they will do" he said as finished Sakura's seal. She took a look at it; she didn't recognize most of the work, but did see something that looked like the sign for 'mind'.

_He's really gotten impressive with working of Fūinjutsu. I still can't believe this is the same knuckle-head from the academy. _Sakura casted her eyes down; _I was such a witch to him, yet he keeps helping me, especially sense 'our' sensei won't… Maybe I can make it up to him later. _

Naruto reached for Sasuke's arm, who gave it reluctantly. Even he could see the use in what Naruto could do… Maybe he should give him a chance? Just… No, he was a clan less loser. Naruto continued "And then there's the scroll… I have two scrolls that look similar, so we can make fakes, and for the real one, we can seal it in a seal on one of our bodies. I will modify it, so we all can open it if the need should arise; wouldn't be good if one of us gets knocked out, and we can't open it because of that".

Sakura thought what Naruto had proposed, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find any flaws; Naruto had really thought this through. The blond member of team had finished Sasuke's seal in the meanwhile. He made two more Kage Bunshin right after; one to make his own seals, and one to make the fake scrolls. Before the Bunshin started on the seal he moved a hand glowing with chakra over Naruto's biceps; something Sakura had never seen or heard of before. Slowly another seal faded into appearance. To no big surprise, Sakura couldn't really make anything out of it, but the number '12' close to the edge. As the clone began to make the 'pull seal' Sakura let her curiosity gets the best of her "Naruto, what is that other seal you got? And why wasn't it visible before?"

Naruto looked at the seal she was referring to "Ah that, it's a restriction seals. Makes it harder to move around; level 1 it's like to move through water, level 2 it's like walking through mud, and so on… So, if you're ever in a pinch, you can remove the effects, and what before seemed like just jumping a meter, will suddenly be twelve meters"

Even Sasuke thought that it was impressive. The same thought ran through Naruto's' teammates' heads. Sakura brushed away a strand of hair that had wiggled itself out of her bow/hitai-ate "Erm, Naruto, do you think maybe I and Sasuke-kun could get one? I mean, it would be pretty good to have a hidden burst of speed in a pinch"

Naruto frowned "I don't think you can. Ero-sennin was rather adamant about me not giving it to anyone. First I didn't understand why, but after having studied some more Fūinjutsu… Though it is one of the first seals you learn about, it's advised that you don't try it out before you have _at least_ a year's worth of training. It's in a category of seals, that not only require the seal itself, but the knowledge of the seal. I guess it's kind of like a sealing scroll; even if you have the seal, if you don't know _how_ to access the items inside it, you can't use it. There are some major differences between the two… The most important and obvious is again about the knowledge. If you don't know how to work a sealing seal, you simply won't be able to get the item out or into the seal, but if you don't know how to work a restriction seal, it can really hurt you. So, no… sorry."

Sakura sighed disappointed "oh well…"

'Hn' it came from Sasuke. He looked thoughtful while looking at Naruto, as if he was deciding what he was going to do with him. He took a look at the clone making the fake scrolls "dobe, you said you also had some idea how we could best utilize the time in here… Let us hear them"

Naruto stared at Sasuke in disbelief; this was one of the first times Sasuke had actually acknowledged that he was worth something. He smiled "Yeah, well… What I'm thinking is that we have three options. One; we simply track and hunt the other teams down. The upside is that we're not really reliant on their movement; as we will be do the moving. But on the downside, we will use a lot of energy hunting them… Also, none of us really has any tracking skills. Sure, I could make a few hundred Bunshin, but that would alarm the other teams further, and they will be specifically being looking for us."

"Then there is option 2; we wait for the other teams by the river; it's the only pure water-source in this godforsaken place. It is true that it's too big for us to cover the whole of it, but we could probably cover about a fourth or a third with the use of my Bunshin. The upside; we could mostly preserve our energy for fighting; they will be do the moving. We will also be the ones to set the circumstances for the fight. The downside; we will be reliant on their movement, and as such would be required to stay up for a long period of time, so they don't slip by while we're taking a rest. Also, we are for sure not the only one to be thinking like that…"

"And finally option 3. It's the same idea as option 2; set up and wait for another team, where they are sure to come. But instead of the river, we will do it at the tower in the middle. Same up- and downsides"

Naruto waited for their response. Both of them seemed to be waging the options they had been presented with. Sakura was about to speak up, when Sasuke cut her off "I would say we should go with the river. We will have access to clean water, and open areas; perfect for setting up a trap. The tower is of course also an option, but there isn't as much space, and we're sure to bump into a lot of other teams, that shouldn't happen at the river"

Sakura and Naruto nodded in agreement. Naruto looked over at his clone to see how far he had gotten with the fake scrolls "Ok, if we're going with the river, I say… that we…"

Naruto trailed off as memories from one of the Bunshin he had posted as a lookout returned to him. Sasuke and Sakura were taken by surprise by it, but quickly understood that he must had gotten memories from one of his clones. He frowned.

"Naruto," Sakura whispers.

"We have to hurry up. A team from Ame is coming this way" he said and dispelled the two Bunshin that were with them. He had gotten both the 'pull seal' and a sealing seal on his arm. He grabbed the real Heavens Scroll and sealed it, and took the two fake scrolls. His other Bunshin had finished one of them, an Earth Scroll, and almost finished the other, another Heavens Scroll. He gave the fake Earth Scroll to Sasuke, who quickly put it in his pouch, and stuffed the unfinished one in his own.

They all three stood up. Naruto looked into the air, going over his and his teammates' skills, and formulating a plan to beat this team. It would be hard, since he had no idea what kind of skills the Ame team had, but they would have to do. If they ran, the Ame Genin were sure to follow them, and it could evolve into a competition about who gave up first, which he really didn't feel like. He looked up to Sakura, and even Sasuke, looking anticipating at him. He nodded

"So what I think we should do is…"

/-/-/-/-/

Three Ame Genin were jumping through the woods. They were all wearing what looked like full-body yellow wet-suits, their eyes covered by cloth, with holes to see through, and a mask over their mouth, probably to be able to breathe under water. Their tracker had just picked up on some other Genin, but they weren't sure who they were yet. The largest of the three tilted his head to get the tracker into view "Are you sure they are this way? I can't see any sign of them"

The tracker kept his hand in the ram sign "and that is why I'm the tracker, and you're the leader. I'm positive they're this way"

The third spoke up "They must be pretty fast. To be able to make it this far inside the forest, in the little time we have had since the test started, isn't an easy task"

"Doesn't matter" the leader of the three said "as long as we take them by surprise, it won't matter"

That closed the matter as they continued onwards. Not long after they arrived at the edge of a clearing, a clearing that Team 7 had been in not long before. The tracker motioned them to a stop. They continued long the forest-line, and soon came upon a small camping area.

They smirked as they only saw a pink-haired Kunoichi sitting in the area – the tracker couldn't sense any of the others, and so they figured that her teammate was out to gather food or wood, or something of the like. The leader nodded to the third member of the team, who quickly disappeared into the shadows. He smirked as he closed in on the apparent unknowing target. He sneaked closer and closer. He raised his dagger, almost having the Kunoichi. Sakura quickly spun around and delivered an earth-shattering punch to the Ame-nin abdomen. He coughed out a large amount of blood on her hand.

The leader and trackers eyes shot open as they realized they had walked straight into a trap. They were about to retreat when they heard two voice from behind them

**"**_**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu!**_**"**

**"**_**Fūton: Daitoppa!"**_

The first thing that hit them was the searing wind; it burned what little skin they had exposed. Then they saw an eerie glow between the trees, where after a fireball bigger than they had even seen came soaring towards them, setting anything it passed on fire. They quickly jumped down into the clearing; the only place they were sure it wouldn't hit, only to hear the same voice that had casted the futon

**"**_**Shoton: Baningu Kosoku!**_**"**

Several chains made of crystal broke through the earth underneath them and wrapped themselves around the two. They saw over at their humped-over teammate, and could see the same happening to him. Almost immediately after they felt their chakra being harder to access.

Naruto came out, with Sasuke close behind him, dusting his hands off in his pants "that went better than expected". Needless to say, the two conscious Ame-nin was glaring holes through him.

Sasuke 'hmph'ed "I still say we should've killed them right away"

"And risk not getting their scroll?" Naruto asked him, not really expecting an answer. He walked over to the two chained shinobi "So, spit it out. Where is your scroll?"

"Like we would give it that easily" the leader said laughing "you got some nerve kid"

Naruto sighed deeply and let his breath drop "Going to be that way then…?" he took up a stick from the ground. He turned his look back at the Ame-nin's "Let's play a little game. This is you" he motioned to the stick "and this is what I'll do to you and your team, one limp at the time, if you don't tell me where your scroll is".

The trapped shinobi watched intensely as the stick first was spiked with multiple blue crystals; they glanced nervously at each other. After it had been impaled with tens of crystal blades, it began crystallizing over; cold-sweat broke out. Thereafter, very slowly, the crystal shattered from one end to the other, sending the miniature crystal pieces out in the air. The tracker broke down

"I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Just don't kill me! I don't want to die yet!" he begged

"D-don't tell t-them!" the leader stammered

Naruto kept his cool, and raised an eyebrow at the tracker, completely ignoring the leader now "Alright then. Where is it?"

"It's over on him" he nodded towards the member of the team who had gotten pummeled by Sakura "he has it in his pouch". Naruto looked back at Sakura and Sasuke, who went over to the location right away. To Team 7 delight, they pulled out an Earth Scroll. Naruto rose and took a pose, ready to strike the shinobi in front of him

"You said you wouldn't kill us!" the leader half-screamed.

"I won't. But I can't have you guys following us, so you're going to take a little nap" the Shoton user responded, hitting them in the neck. They both slumped over, hitting the ground with a 'thud'. Naruto dispelled the chains and walked over to his teammates. Sakura looked worriedly at the three

"We can't just leave them like this. They will get eaten or something. You saw that snake out front!"

Sasuke didn't seem to agree, but didn't voice his opinion. Naruto looked at the Ame-nin and sighed in resignation "I guess you _do_ have a point…" He made three clones and sent them with their beaten opponents on their backs, to find a hiding spot. He looked back at them "We better get out of here. We have stayed here for too long, and the other teams are bound to have heard that Katon/Fūton combination Sasuke and I fired off."

Both his teammates nodded in agreement, as they took off again.

/-/-/-/-/

Orochimaru in the disguise of a young Kusa Genin sneered; he still hadn't found Team 7. It had been almost three hours now, and if he they had been lucky, they could be on their way towards the tower now. He couldn't let that happen. In his search of the Shoton and Sharingan users, he and his followers had already come across two other teams. They had been stupid enough to try their luck against him, and failed miserably. They, of course, died a slow and agonizing death, but none of that mattered now. His thoughts were interrupted by the tracker he had taken with him

"Orochimaru-Sama" he called. Said Sannin glanced back at him, seeing a grin Oto Genin "I've found them. They're about two kilometers south, south-west of here. They are moving rather fast"

Orochimaru, now also wearing a grin boarding to smirk, nodded at him "good work. I'll take it from here… You guys can go have some fun"

His two followers grinned to each other, before taking off into the forest. Orochimaru's creepy smirk stayed on his lips as he thought about the Sharingan user and the Shoton user; he couldn't wait to see what they were capable off. He shot off with speeds only jounin-level shinobi would be able to keep up with; in the direction he had been told.

/-/-/-/-/

Team 7 was jumping through the canopies of the forest, Naruto leading them, Sakura on his left, and Sasuke on his right. They were heading straight for the center; they had gotten their scroll, and the longer they stayed out in the open, the longer they risked of losing them. No matter how happy Naruto was about his team already having the Earth Scroll, he couldn't help but also feel a tiny tad disappointed '_and here I was ready to spent multiple nights out in the open, fighting strong teams… Oh well, I guess you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth'_

In his mindscape the Kyuubi smirked darkly behind his prison; _**you'll get your wish brat. Let's see if you can live through it.**_

It hadn't been ten seconds since Naruto had thought those thoughts did a very powerful gust knock them off course, forcing them to land on the ground. They quickly jumped into a formation, covering each other's backs, while being able to attack any angle. They stayed silence for about a minute, none of them daring to speak. But finally Sakura broke the silence

"That wasn't natural, was it?" she asked, still standing ready, trying to see if anything were coming for them from her view

Naruto shook his head "No, I'm pretty sure it was a _**Fūton**__: __**Daitoppa**_"

"But it looked nothing like yours did" Sasuke stated "This has to had been at _least_ three times at powerful, probably more"

"Well, the thing about **Daitoppa** is that it varies in strength from user to user. Many factors matter, as- that doesn't matter now" the blond Genin answered. He narrowed his eyes as he saw something through the undergrowth "Sasuke, use your Sharingan here. I think they're coming." The Uchiha heir didn't get to do anything before they heard a laugh sending chills up their spines

"Ku ku ku" it came from the direction Naruto had pointed out. From the shade of the trees a person seemed to slither towards them "you really don't let your guard down." Said person came out into the light, giving Team 7 a clear view of him; he was one of the Genin from Kusa. "Looks like I can have more fun than I expected" he continued and licked his lips, giving the Genin from Konoha a sight of his abnormally long and odd-shaped tongue.

He laughed again while taking out his scroll; Scroll of Earth. "You want our Scroll of the Earth, right?" he asked, not really expecting an answer "since you three have the Scroll of Heaven." All three of Kakashi's students narrowed their eyes, the same thought going through their heads; he had been watching them, meaning that he had planned on taking them on. They didn't need an extra scroll, but none of them dared to speak or move against this enemy.

The next thing the foreigner did irked them all; he brought the scroll to his mouth, his long tongue wrapping around the scroll, before _forcing_ it down his throat. He continued talking to them, his hitai-ate covering his eyes in shadow "Now, let us begin… The fight over out scrolls… By putting our lives on the line!" He looked directly up at the three, pulling slightly down on his lower right eyelid.

A monstrous amount of killer intent hit them; something none of them had expected. They saw over, and over again, how the Kusa-nin were going to kill them; slice them open, kunai to the forehead, their throats slit. All of their eyes widened in shock and fear. Naruto half buckled down to one knee, but managed to remain standing, though still shaking. He glared at the enemy in front of him '_He can't be a Genin. Just who is he? No Genin can manage to release such KI, no matter how strong they are. This KI… It has been through wars, it has been surrounded be death… If it wasn't because I have been exposed to the Kyuubi's…'_ He shifted his eyes to his teammates

Sakura and Sasuke had fallen down on their knees. Sasuke was currently bent over, emptying his stomachs contents, '_A Genjutsu…? No. It was just intent to kill! I can't believe it… After just seeing into his eyes, I was imprinted with an image of my own death. Just who is he?!'_ Sakura was doing far worse; she was shaking like a leaf, crying her tears out. No matter how hard she had trained, nothing could have prepared her for this. How could she? This was a Chunin exam; no one like this should be in here.

Naruto was still shaking; but now in anger. He looked back at the imposing Kusa Genin, remembering his training, and shot his deadliest glare, with some of the Kyuubi's own killer intent. Naruto could feel traces of the Kyuubi's chakra running through his system, and knew that if he looked himself in the eyes, he would see red slit eyes, instead of the usual ocean blue. Sasuke stared up at Naruto, not knowing where he could've learned it. Sakura, though still in tears felt relief hit her system.

"Who are you?" Naruto growled

Orochimaru took a step back at the unexpected KI that rivaled, if not beat, his own, then smirked '_ku ku ku, seems little Naruto-kun has more control over the Kyuubi than I thought.'_ He smiled in his own creepy way "Very impressive Naruto-kun. I didn't expect you to be so in control"

"Tell me who you are!" Naruto repeated more harshly.

Orochimaru in the Kusa-Genin's body smirked. "Make me"

That was it for Naruto; he charges as fast as he could, conjured a crystal tanto in the process, and slashed through the foreign Genin. His eyes widened as the person his tanto was half buried in disappeared into smoke. He reappeared right in front of him, going through hand seals faster than Naruto had ever seen

**"**_**Fūton: Renkudan!**_**"**

Before Naruto could do anything, he felt like he was hit by the Hokage monument. Everything hurt as he was hurled away, and away, and away. She did not realize her voice echoed so loud as Sakura watched in horror.

"NARUTO!"

/-/-/-/-/

Yugito, Omoi and Karui were sitting up a tree while having something to eat. They had been running around the forest, trying to find another Genin team, but no such luck yet. Omoi swallowed his mouthful of rice-ball "You know, we could try the river. Some teams are bound to go there to get fresh water. If you don't, then you will just get dehydrated, then you will-"

"Gosh, we get it already, Omoi!" Karui yelled in whispers and took another bite of her food. She sighed in defeat "but you do have a point… We're not getting anywhere at this rate. I really wish one of us was a sensory type, like She. Right, Yugito-chan? Yugito-chan?" Said girl was currently lost in thought, thinking about a certain blond Genin from Konoha.

"Yugito-chan!?" Karui yelled into her ear.

She pushed her away right away, rubbing her ear "That's mean Karui! You know how much more sensitive my hearing are because of Nibi!"

Karui shrugged "I had to do something. You were kinda dazed"

Yugito blushed "I was?"

Omoi nodded "Yeah, what was that about anyway? It's like the fifth it has happened since yesterday. It could be really bad. Just think; we're in the middle of a fight with another Genin team, and they are charging at us. You're just about to cast a jutsu to counter theirs, but you faze out, and then – OUCH"

Karui robbed her fist, but then looked at Yugito "again, he has a point. We need you to keep your head in the game. We are in here with a lot of other people, and some of us will die."

Yugito sighed "I know, it's just-" she stopped when she felt faint KI. She looked at her two teammates, who were looking in the direction it was coming from. Not long after they felt a much more potent one. Yugito's eyes widened as she felt demonic chakra being used.

"Let's go" she said and jumped towards the KI

"What are you doing!? We should run _away_ from that!" Karui screamed, but Yugito didn't listen. Karui quickly picked up Omoi "come on. We can't let her go alone."

They quickly jumped from branch to branch, trying to locate the exact area the KI and demonic chakra was coming from. Their eyes widened as they realized that one of the sources were moving fast towards them. That's when they started to hear to crashes. They stopped, getting ready to jump any way to avoid anything.

Through a tree crashed what Yugito concluded was the source of the demonic chakra, and it didn't stop. From where they were standing, they could see him crash through three more trees, before continuing out of sight. Yugito looked at her two teammates, before dashing off after the living projectile.

/-/-/-/-/

Naruto tried to channel more of the fox chakra into his system, as he kept crashing through trees. He finally stopped by making a big dent into what seemed like a several hundred year old oak. He fell down from his crater, falling headfirst into the earth. He groaned as he tried to get up, but found out he couldn't get more up than on four limbs. He coughed hard and spat out a fair amount of blood. He closed his eyes trying to focus his thoughts, which was hard because of all the pain. He had _never_ felt so much pain before. The Fūton jutsu wasn't enough; he had to go _through_ multiple kilometers of forest.

He could feel at least five rips broken, his right leg didn't feel too good either, and he was almost positive he was bleeding internally, since he was coughing blood up. He groaned again as he sat up by the oak and closed his eyes. Even with the fox's chakra, this was going to take a while to heal, and he had to get back to Sakura and Sasuke fast. He didn't want to think what that maniac would do to them. But he couldn't do anything right now… He had to rest.

His ears twitched as he heard something moving, and his eyes went wide open when he heard a hiss. In front of him was a snake big enough to fill up his whole apartment, and still have a good portion of its tail outside. It looked hungrily at him and began to slither towards him. Naruto used all his power to stand up, still leaning onto the oak, and made a crystal tanto. But the crystal shattered as soon as it had been made. He closed his eyes '_No, it can't end like this… Anything but this… Kyuubi, just a little more. Leant me your chakra'_.

He opened his eyes screaming, and brought his free hand slamming into the ground **"**_**Shoton: Suishō no shi!**_**"**

The snake stopped as the whole clearing shook, seemingly concentrating under the snake. Right as Naruto thought the jutsu had failed, giant crimson spikes grew out of the earth, impaling the giant snake everywhere they could. From where the spikes had hit, the flesh started to crystallize, making the snake hiss in agony. In thirty seconds the snake was dead, only leaving a massive construct of a crystal snake in front of Naruto.

Naruto lost his footing again, as he felt the Kyuubi's chakra leave his system. His vision blackened as he saw the crystal snake beginning to crumble, and three figures jumping towards him.

_Sakura…_

/-/-/-/-/-/

**Tokubetsu Jounin – Special High Ninja:** Tokubetsu Jounin are ninja who, rather than all-around jounin training, have jounin-level ability in a specific area or skill, much like warrant officers in real-world militaries. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular jounin when their services are needed. One example of a Tokubetsu Jounin is Ibiki Morino, whose unique ability to completely understand the workings of the human mind makes him a jounin-level interrogation expert.

**Ame – Rain:** Also short for Amegakure

**Amegakure – Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Rain":** Amegakure is a small, yet highly industrialized hidden village located in an unnamed country. Its architecture is composed of several metallic skyscrapers with rowed ducts connected to them and mazy power lines surmounting. A number of smaller villages also surround Amegakure. As its name suggests, it rains almost constantly due to a storm above the village.

**Oto – Sound:** Also short for Otogakure

**Otogakure - Literally meaning "Village Hidden by Sound":** Otogakure no Sato is the personal hidden village of Orochimaru, which was founded for the express purpose of collecting ninja for his experiments and his quest to learn all techniques.

**Fūton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough:** This is a relatively simple technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, but its scale varies greatly depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. A variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

**Fūton: Renkudan – Wind Release: Drilling Air Bullet:** To use this technique, the user will first take a deep breath, and then pound the stomach to apply external pressure, the power of which it uses to shoot a highly compressed air ball from the users mouth. The expelled air ball is mighty enough to hollow out the ground, and knock through tree, and even rock. Because of the large quantity of chakra kneaded into it, it explodes the moment it reaches its target, dealing an enormous amount of damage, as well as leveling anything in its path. The original user of this is Shukaku, the one tailed demon raccoon, is able to fire multiple of these in rapid succession, having a certain level of control regarding the size of the bullets.

**Shoton: Suishō no Shi - Crystal Release: Crystal Death:** The user slams his hand into the ground, filling it with Shoton chakra. The chakra concentrates on the enemy, where after it forms razor-sharp crystal spikes that impales. From the impaling wound, anything, organic or otherwise, will crystallize, killing almost any enemy.

**Iwa – Rock:** Also short of Iwagakure

**Iwagakure – "Hidden Stone Village"; literally meaning "Village Hidden by Rocks":** Iwagakure is the hidden village of the Tsuchi no Kuni. As one of the Five Great Shinobi Countries, Iwagakure has a Kage as its leader known as the Tsuchikage, current being Ōnoki. Iwagakure is well-known for the rock-hard attitude of its shinobi; as soon as the Tsuchikage gives an order, the Iwa-nin do so without hesitation, even if it means death. The standard attire for shinobi from this village consists of red outfit — which can either have one, or both sleeves — a lapel which is usually found on the side without a sleeve and a brown flak jacket — which also may, or may not have a pouch attached to it. They also tend to wear mesh armor around their ankles. Iwagakure ninja seem to specialize in Doton techniques.

The rocky mountain ranges that surround the village and country provide a natural stronghold. The village profits from this advantageous position and is proud of its strong defenses. The village sits among a mountain range consisting of small narrow waterfalls, with the buildings being composed of rock and stone; shaped from large, elevated formations of rock into tower-like structures. Many of its buildings sit on cliffs connected by a network of bridges. The Tsuchikage's palace seems to be the tallest structure with a cone shaped roof.

**Tsuchi no Kuni – Land of Earth:** Tsuchi no Kuni has seen little attention in the series thus far. It is located north-west of the Hi no Kuni. Its government leader is the Earth Daimyo. The country is mostly comprised of desolate, rocky areas. The border of the Tsuchi no Kuni runs along a rocky mountain range, blocking communication with other countries. The wind blowing from the north passes over these mountains, carrying small rocks from the Land of Earth to the surrounding countries. This famous natural phenomenon is called "Rock Rain".


	11. The snake in the forest!

**Chapter 11:**** The Snake in the forest! Orochimaru vs. Sasuke and Sakura!**

/-/-/-/-/

_Naruto tried to channel more of the fox chakra into his system, as he kept crashing through trees. He finally stopped by making a big dent into what seemed like a several hundred year old oak. He fell down from his crater, falling headfirst into the earth. He groaned as he tried to get up, but found out he couldn't get more up than on four limbs. He coughed hard and spat out a fair amount of blood. He closed his eyes trying to focus his thoughts, which was hard because of all the pain. He had never felt so much pain before. The futon jutsu wasn't enough; he had to go_ through_ multiple kilometers of forest._

_He could feel at least five rips broken, his right leg didn't feel to good either, and he was almost positive he was bleeding internally, since he was coughing blood up. He groaned again as he sat up by the oak and closed his eyes. Even with the fox's chakra, this was going to take a while to heal, and he had to get back to Sakura and Sasuke fast. He didn't want to think what that maniac would do to them. But he couldn't do anything right now… He had to rest._

_His ears twitched as he heard something moving, and his eyes went wide open when he heard a hiss. In front of him was a snake big enough to fill up his whole apartment, and still have a good portion of its tail outside. It looked hungrily at him and began to slither towards him. Naruto used all his power to stand up, still leaning onto the oak, and made a crystal tanto. But the crystal shattered as soon as it had been made. He closed his eyes _'No, it can't end like this… Anything but this… Kyuubi, just a little more. Leant me your chakra'_._

_He opened his eyes screaming, and brought his free hand slamming into the ground "_Shoton: Suishō no shi_!"_

_The snake stopped as the whole clearing shook, seemingly concentrating under the snake. Right as Naruto thought the jutsu had failed, giant crimson spikes grew out of the earth, impaling the giant snake everywhere they could. From where the spikes had hit, the flesh started to crystallize, making the snake hiss in agony. In thirty seconds the snake was dead, only leaving a massive construct of a crystal snake in front of Naruto._

_Naruto lost his footing again, as he felt the Kyuubi's chakra leave his system. His vision blackened as he saw the crystal snake beginning to crumble, and three figures jumping towards him._

_Sakura… _

/-/-/-/-/

Darkness. Pain. _Hatred_. All he could feel was those things. He didn't know where he was, or when he was… who was he again…? Oh yeah, he was Uzumaki Naruto, orphan of Konohagakure no Sato, Jinchurriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, hated by the shinobi, despised by the villagers… The Kyuubi… The source of all his suffering… And that because of a single man; Namikaze Minato, the Yondaime Hokage, Konoha no Kiiroi Senko, war-hero of the third great shinobi war… Why him? Why did the strongest shinobi in centuries choose him? Why was it him that had to be damned? Hadn't the Kyuubi taken enough from him? Wasn't his parents' death enough for the Yondaime? Hadn't he suffered enough?

The pain, this unbearable pain! It wasn't only his non-existing body that hurt now, but his heart too. Everything hurt, and he had nowhere to run… There was only darkness, darkness to swallow him up whole, darkness mock him in his darkest hour, darkness to remind him of all the things he _didn't_ accomplish, all the things he _wouldn't_ accomplish, and the things he never _could_ accomplish… He had never hurt this much before. He wanted to get away, but there was nowhere to go, nowhere to run…

Then out of nothing came flash brighter than the strongest Katon jutsu, so bright that he thought it was a new sun. It was _somewhere_, instead of this _nowhere_. He began running towards it, he started to feel his body; his chest, his legs, his arms, his head, his everything. He was something, _somebody_.

The darkness grabbed out after him, trying to hold him away from the beautiful light, the godsend light, but he wouldn't lose. He used all his powers to struggle, to get away from the awful thing that was darkness. He was getting closer! He could feel the warmth, the caring, and the _love_. He had to get there. But the darkness was so strong! He was so _close!_ He couldn't be shown the way out, just to have it taken away. But he started to slow down. The darkness came from him again, dragging him away from the light, from the warmth, the caring, and the _love_. He couldn't take it, the hatred, the pain, the darkness. It came for him again. He started to lose to it, slowly, inch by inch; it won, dragging him away from the light. It got colder.

That's when he heard the voice, that familiar yet completely alien voice. It was soothing, knowing, caring. It gave him strength. He fought, he _couldn't _lose to the darkness, and he _wouldn't_. He had things to do, goals to accomplish! He _was_ going to pass these exams, he_ was_ going to be acknowledged by the village of Konoha, and he _was_ going to become the Hokage!

He used his newly gained strength to get out of the grasp of the coldness, the darkness. He used all his powers to get to the voice, to the light. He was winning. He was so close now, just a few more meters. Five meters, three meters, a half meter. He stretched out his hand to touch his savior. He was so close to the warmth, it burned his hand. But he didn't care; anything but the darkness. And he touched it.

Light exploded all around him, chasing the darkness away, the coldness away, the pain and hatred away. There was only light, only love, only warmth. He blinked a few times to get use to the brightness. What he saw was not what he expected. He was standing what he guessed was a room, but without walls. There wasn't much furniture here, only a small table, a chair, and a crib. He heard low, light breaths from it. He slowly stepped over to it, his breath getting stuck in his throat when he saw who was laying in it.

It was a baby, which couldn't be more than a day or two old. That wasn't what had gotten to Naruto; it was its appearance. Three very familiar whisker marks were across the cheeks, his blond hair was spiky and uncontrolled, bristling in all direction. The baby slit his eyes open to show him the most deep, cerulean eyes, which he knew very well.

He got a shock as two people appeared in the middle of the 'room'. A blond man was kneeling, holding a long, red-haired woman to his chest. You could see that she was very beautiful, despite appearing so sick and weak. Once again his breath hitched as the man rose from his kneeling position, showing his full appearance. He had the same spiky blond hair as the baby, but longer bangs, framing his head, the same deep, cerulean kind eyes was position in his face. His whole body structure just shouted 'I have power, and I'm not afraid of using it if I'm forced'. It was the Yondaime Hokage.

"Why" the red-haired woman weakly spoke. The pair didn't seem to have noticed the stranger in their home. Naruto stood frozen, not daring to make any movements

Minato began walking over to the crib "never mind that now… Just stay with Naruto." His eyes widened in realization as he heard what the older blond said. He looked in disbelief between the man standing over the crib, to the woman lying in it beside the baby.

The woman hugged the baby tightly, her eyes watering "Naruto…" She didn't notice the dark and grim look which was displayed in her husband's face. His fist tightened a second as a resolute expression took over the grim look. He went to where a wall should have been, and opened what appeared to be a closet. He quickly took on a white cloak with red flames dancing at the bottom. On the backside the kanji for 'Yondaime Hokage' was displayed. Naruto had no doubts now; this was the legendary Konoha no Kiiroi Senko.

"Minato… Thank you" the woman spoke, "good luck".

"I'll be right back" and with that he disappeared in a flash of yellow.

She just lay there, looking at her newly born son. He began to sob lightly, almost as if he knew what would come to be. The woman comforted him "There, there Naru-chan. everything will be all right." But he didn't stop, he began to cry louder. "Shhh, nothing is going to happen to you, just go back to sleep." But it didn't stop him; she sighed deeply with a smile on her lips, and began to sing for him. Chills went down Naruto's spine as he recognized the voice; it was the voice that had saved him from the darkness, the voice which had haunted his dreams, since he don't know when. He sat down on the chair simply listening to what he could only guess was his mom. A serene smile spread on his face

"_Just when you think  
Hope is lost  
and giving up  
is all you got,  
Blue turns black,  
your confidence is cracked,  
and there seems no turning back from here_

_Sometimes there isn't an obvious explanation  
why the holiest hearts can feel the strongest palpitations_

_That's when you can build a bridge of light,  
that's what turns the wrongs all right  
that's when you can't give up the fight_

_That's when love turns nighttime into day,  
that's when loneliness goes away,  
that's why you gotta be strong tonight,  
and only love can build us a bridge of light"_

Naruto could've listened to that for hours, maybe even days, and not get tired of hearing it. He closed his eyes as the song went on and on, just reveling in the peace he felt. But he suddenly frowned when the voice became lower and lower. He tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't. He could only sit there as the angelic song was taken away from him.

/-/-/-/-/

Naruto winced; he could feel all the pain in his body. He wasn't in the light anymore. What was that place anyway? Had it all been a dream? He really wasn't the Yondaime's son…? No, it couldn't have been a dream, not all those emotions he felt. He could still feel the peace from the light, the love, and the concern; two feelings he never really had felt before, but instantly knew what they were.

He turned over to feel a warm glow from behind his eyelids. It was nice. Kept him warm now that he was lying here on the forest floor. But how could that be? How did he get here again? The last thing he remembered was the snake, the snake which poofed away, just like a summons's? A snake summoner? The only Konoha-nin with a contract to the snakes were Anko, and no one, not even her, was allowed to interfere in the exams. But who else could have the snake summon? Who again was holding the contract? He thought about it for a few seconds, before the realization came crashing down on him '_Orochimaru! It was Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin! But then… Sakura, Sasuke!'_ He sat up as soon as he had concluded it, but quickly regretted it and grasped his head. He got very lightheaded, and his whole body still hurt – not as much as before, but still a lot. He winced and looked down his body; he was covered in bandages. He frowned once again '_but who could've done it? For that matter, why am I sitting in a camp, and not lying beaten up somewhere in the forest?'_

"Oh, you're finally awake. I have been waiting for quite some time" a foreign female voice sounded. Naruto, while still quite dazed by the lightheadedness, looked lazily over at the direction the voice had come from, and looked straight at a blond girl. He recognized her from the day before, at Ibiki's exam. He analyzed her face; it was smooth, beautiful even. Especially her eyes drew his attention; they were light blue, and her pupils were slit, just like a cats eyes, while they were set in an angle. They were just under her hitai-ate, which proudly displayed the three clouds which are Kumogakure's symbol.

_'Wait'_ Naruto thought '_Kumogakure… Kumogakure!_' Naruto didn't waste another second. He didn't show any concern to his body's condition, as he jumped from the makeshift bed as fast as he could, making a crystal tanto in the process, and got into a battle stance at the other side of the camp. He realized his grave mistake to disregard his body, as the crystal shattered and he fell clutching his left side.

"Baka! You're in no condition to jump around like that! You flew through several kilometers of forest!" it came from the Kumo Kunoichi as she stood up and made her way over to him

The blond Konoha Genin looked carefully at her, not really sure what to make of her, "You're not going to attack me?"

She snorted "and why would I do that? Not after all the trouble I went through to treat you"

No, Naruto _really_ didn't know what to make of her. Why would a foreign shinobi, a shinobi from Kumogakure nonetheless, treat him? It was normal that Genin from the same village helped each other, or at least not attack or hinder each other, during the exams, but it was very rare, even for allied nations, to help teams from foreign villages. Naruto didn't take his eyes off her, trying to keep his guard up as much as he could "_You_ treated me? Why?"

"Why? Because you were beaten up pretty badly, that's why" she answered a little annoyed. Here she had used hours to treat him, and he reacted like this. She stopped walking waited for him to put down his guard

Naruto shook his head "That's not what I meant. Kumo and Konoha isn't allies; far from it. You used the _peace_ treaty as a way to try and get your hands on the Byakugan. It's just disgusting how you would use Konoha's good faith like that"

The Kumo Kunoichi snorted yet again; he had no idea what really happened that night. She looked at Naruto yet another time; he was barely standing, his whole body shaking lightly in exertion, and blood dripping from the now loose bandages. She raised an eyebrow '_while it's rather foolish to go around jumping like that with such serious injuries, I can't deny that I'm impressed… But even with his so-called healing abilities, he still is far from in a condition where he could safely move around. Then again… If he really is one of _us_, then it isn't that surprising.'_

She looked at him with an raised eyebrow, before resigning and sat down on the ground. "Look, I'm not going to attack you, and neither are my teammates"

Naruto narrowed his eyes; he had forgotten everything about her teammates "Then where are they?"

She shrugged "out getting wood, water, and food. Now come here so I can treat you before you pass out again from blood loss."

Naruto didn't get out of his sloppy stance '_Should I really trust her? If she wanted to get rid of me, then why would she treat me? But what other options do I have? I could try run for it. But, with these injuries I wouldn't get far… She would catch me within a few minutes. I could call for help using _that_, but I don't think I have enough chakra to do it without passing out, leaving me at her mercy. And I could of course just put my trust in her… Sigh, doesn't seem like I have a choice. No matter what I do, I will be at her mercy. Might as well not waste any energy'_.

He carefully got out of his stance "fine. But I'll be watching you." He humped over to the now standing Kumo Genin, who helped him over to the campfire again, where she began changing and tighten the bandages. He couldn't help but blush as he stood bare-chested, as she looked over his wounds.

She raised an eyebrow at what she saw; he really did have rather impressive healing abilities. The long gashes he had when they found him, where almost gone. '_If all his wounds heal as fast as these'_ she thought as she began stroking his chest lightly, feeling the wounds '_he must never have gotten, and never will get, any scars._'

"Hmmmh" it came from Naruto

She looked inquiring up at him. His head was as red as a ripe tomato. She soon noticed why; she had been stroking him all over his muscular chest, checking for the wounds. As she realized what he must've thought and felt, she blushed deeply, and quickly changed the bandages. She sat down on the other side of the bonfire.

"So, what's your name?" she asked, eager to shift from the awkward atmosphere that had appeared

"You first" Naruto said, still not trusting the girl completely

She rolled her eyes "My name is Yugito. Nii Yugito"

Naruto pulled his knees up to his chest, and rested his aching head on them with closed eyes "Name is Uzumaki Naruto"

/-/-/-/-/

**- Hours earlier -**

**"**_**Fūton: Renkudan!**_**"**

"NARUTO!"

Sasuke and Sakura watched in horror as their teammate was hurled away, through the trees with enormous force from Orochimaru's jutsu. The now obvious non-Genin turned his attention back to the two Konoha shinobi in front of him. He cracked a smile

"Now, where were we?"

Sakura was shaking out of control. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop shaking. It didn't help when Naruto, the strongest Genin she knew – yes, even stronger than Sasuke – was shot through the forest, without the Kusa shinobi even breaking a sweat. She felt something wet hitting her arms and legs. She looked down to find droplets of water. Still shaking, she moved her hand to her chin, feeling more water. '_Tears?_' she thought '_even with all the training I have been going through, It still only took that little effort from him to take me down. Naruto could handle it with no problem, and Sasuke is also able to move… Wait, what is he going to do with that kunai!?'_ While Sakura had been trying to get herself under control again, Sasuke had done his own thinking; they needed to get out of there. He had taken out a kunai, and was standing up, barely. Sakura's eyes widened in realization as she knew what he was going to do.

"And what do you think you're going to do with that, Sasuke-kun?" the Kusa-nin asked as he began walking towards them.

'_He is coming. But what can I do? I must… Naruto could pull it together. Sasuke pulled it together… I also have to pull it together!'_ the pink-haired Kunoichi thought. It was rushed more as she saw their opponent now taking out two kunai

"Relax; I will end it in a flash. You won't have time to suffer" he said, as he almost casually walked closer to them, meter by meter, step by step. He stopped when he was only a few meters in front of the frozen members of Team 7, drawing back the kunai, ready to throw "I wanted to have a little fun, but… Now I'm disappointed. Maybe your teammate will be a bigger challenge. Maybe I should go look after him, when I'm done with you." He threw the kunai.

As surge of determination crashed through Sasuke and Sakura when their friends name was mentioned; they couldn't give up… he never would. Sasuke turned the kunai towards his thigh, rushing his kunai towards it, while Sakura, with all her strength and might, grabbed her left pinkie, twisting and turning it. There sounded a nauseating crack, and a sickening stabbing sound, and the two Genin was away, leaving the kunai to sink deep into the bark of the tree behind them.

Orochimaru looked down on the bloodied grass, and couldn't help but crack another smile in excitement "I see… They got rid of the fear with pain. Even the civilian-born… Maybe I will have a bit of a challenge anyway"

**- A few hundred meters away -**

Sasuke and Sakura sat oppose to each other on a large branch, away from the maniac. Sakura looked down on her now purple and swollen left hand. Her pinkie was sticking away from the hand, defiantly not sitting in the right position. She winced as she tried to move it. She moved her right hand over the left, grabbing it

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Sasuke asked, with… with concern?

She didn't have time to care about it, or answer him. She had to do this before her determination left her again. She took a deep breath, and snapped the finger back in place. She bit down her scream, clenching her jaw tight, and tears streaming down her cheeks again. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. Finally she answered her crush's question "I had to set it back in place… else it would get infected, or start growing back together at a wrong angle. It would hurt much more later on." She took out bandages and wrapped it around her injured hand.

Sasuke nodded at the explanation, finally taking out the kunai from his thigh '_We need to get out of here. We need to run. He's going to find us out soon. But how?! How should we run away from something like that?_' He was so distressed he didn't even notice the blood seeping out from his wound. While still shaken up, Sakura had somehow managed to calm somewhat down – or at least going from panicked to distressed.

"Sasuke-kun, we need to stop the bleeding. We can't afford to have you pass out now!" she said, beginning to treat the wound, not even waiting for an answer. However, Sasuke quickly pushed her away, while jumping back, and activating his Sharingan in the process. She was about to ask him why, when she saw it. A giant snake was currently coming down at the exact spot they had been, biting the branch to toothpicks.

"I was so upset that I didn't notice the presence of a snake before it was over us…?" the Uchiha heir asked himself in disbelief as he flew through the air. He didn't get an answer, as the snake now launched of off the branch, aiming for him. As it did, he felt the presence of _him_. Panic struck like a lightning bolt.

"Don't get near me!" he screamed while throwing six shuriken at the snakes open mouth. They went straight through its head, and it soon lay dead in the trees, blood seeping from its head and mouth. Sasuke and Sakura tried to get their breath from the attack, thinking it was over. How wrong they could be.

The snakes' skin started to crack at its neck joint, like something was trying to get out. Slowly but surely, the fake Genin emerged from the snake

"You can't let your guard down for even a second" it came from him. "Prey need to strain their minds all the time, and run around… in the presence of a predator!" he was now fully emerged. He launched from the snake, aiming at Sasuke again. But he was changed; from the waist down he almost looked like a snake. He even moved like a snake. He approached the panic-struck Sasuke with incredible speeds. He got closer, and closer! He was not on the same branch. Just as he was about to attack, he stopped in his tracks as kunai and shuriken alike struck just in front of him.

"L-leave Sasuke-kun alone!" it came from the pinkette

Sasuke looked at Sakura with the same wide eyes he had been looking with for the last half hour. Though she was shaking lightly, she was ready to attack. This was a Sakura he hadn't seen before. She was way different from the girl at the academy, or even the girl in Nami. He couldn't let her die here.

"Sakura, run! Do _not_ die here! He is way above our level! Run while you can!"

First she looked at him in shock, shock that he cared enough her that he would give his life for her. Then, to his great surprise, she glared at him "like hell I am! We are a team, all of us, no matter if you like it or not! I get that you're only on this team to get power, to get your so called revenge, but you're still my teammate, Naruto's teammate, Kaka-sensei's student! I'm not going to leave you to the likes of that… that… Hebi-teme!"

No one but Naruto, especially his so-called fan club girls, had ever spoken to him like that. It struck a chord. If she spoke to him like that, he must've been really far out. His eyes changed, his posture changed. He looked back at Orochimaru, who noticed it all '_so… He wants to fight? That's great. I will finally see what the last 'loyal' Uchiha can do!'_

"And so… it begins!" Orochimaru laughed while changing back to having legs. They stood like that, the Uchiha heir and the snake user, just looking at their opponent, ready to react at the slightest movement. It was the snake-user that finally did the first move

"**Sen'eijashu**!" he said in a punching motion. Dozens of snakes appeared out of his sleeve, aiming their poisonous fangs at the Uchiha. His eyes widened, and he quickly jumped over at the branch Sakura was sitting. Orochimaru smiled, as if it had been part of his plan. He pulled up his left sleeve to show a weird looking seal. He bit his thumb and smeared the blood over it, and began to go through hand seals. Sasuke immediately recognized the seals, but before he could warn Sakura, Orochimaru yelled the name of the jutsu

**"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"**

The two Genin were hit by a rough gust, as chakra emerged from their opponent. When it was finally over they found the snake-user had summoned a very large snake; it was at _least_ thirty or forty meters long. He laughed again "What cute prey we have here. For now, eat them!" The snake didn't need to be told twice, it brought its head back, before striking.

Sakura acted before even thinking. She remembered her training; mold chakra in her arm to increase its strength, and strike! She punched the branch below them, causing it to break from the tree, and fall down into the depths of the forest. Sure, they would maybe get hurt by the fall, but it was better than fighting a _giant snake_!

Sasuke was surprised by the sudden free fall, but quickly realized it was Sakura's doing. They both collected chakra at their feet, and came to a hold on the tree's bark. They nodded to the other, and started to jump through the rotten-looking forest together, trying to get away from the snake summoner. It hadn't been more than a few seconds later that they heard the forest behind them getting destroyed by something big; it was the snake, with its summoner, going after them. It was that train of thoughts that left them totally unprepared when the summoner came from their right side, punching Sakura harshly into a tree, and Sasuke through the air. He saw the giant snake behind him, coming to its summoner call. Sasuke twisted in the air, and landed on a branch

"Sakura!" he called her. He looked at her with worry, relief filling his face when he saw her crack open an eye. He turned to glare at the summoner; he reminded him way too much of a certain man. He remembered it like it was yesterday. He closed his eyes, as he remembered what _he_ had said to him… '_Foolish brother. If you wish to kill me, hate me, detest me… And survive in an unsightly way… Run… Run…! And cling to life!'_ No! He wouldn't let anyone he cared about the least get hurt again! He opened his eyes, his Sharingan now evolved.

Orochimaru smiled yet again '_he is definitely part of the Uchiha Clan. His blood must be making him excited._'

Sakura jumped down on a branch, violently coughing up blood as she kneeled down. Sasuke saw it '_we can't keep running in this condition. Then… I must fight him with everything I got!'_

Orochimaru pulled up his sleeve again. "I will take my time to see how strong you are" he laughed, and recalled his snake to its own summoning world, getting into his stance.

Sasuke didn't even flinch at the gust. He had made a resolve, and he wasn't going to back down now. He brought out a kunai and put it in his mouth '_I have to survive to kill my brother. When that thought came to my mind… I realized that I was the one who was acting like an idiot. Naruto… Sakura… How can someone who can't even risk his own life here, even think about killing the man who slaughtered his own clan?_'

Sasuke charged. He jumped into the air, throwing several kunai at his opponent, who dodged them with ease. He jumped from tree to tree, finally getting to the snake-user, and brought a punch and a kick to his chest, both of which Orochimaru simply blocked. He retorted, and tried to kick Sasuke while he was in the air, but Sasuke spun around, barely dodging it. He used the momentum from the spin, and landed crouching a few meters away. They didn't stay that way for long, as both charged again with amazing speeds. They engaged in close combat, each trying to get into the other's guard. Unbeknown to Sasuke, Orochimaru was merely trying, but was greatly impressed by the skills of this Genin. They kept throwing punches and kicks at their opponent. Sasuke dodged under another kick '_I can see it!_'

Orochimaru punched at Sasuke's chest, the force forcing them a few meters apart. The snake-summoner decided to take a different approach. He ran around Sasuke in a radius, with speeds approaching jounin-level. The only reason Sasuke could see it, was because of his newly evolved Sharingan '_I can see!_' He dodged when his opponent came at him, ramming into the tree where he had stood a fraction of a second earlier. He brought the ram seal up, took a deep breath, and spewed fire at the snake. And again. And again! Soon Orochimaru was engulfed in a sea of flames.

The flames dispersed to show no Orochimaru, but Sasuke saw where he was; inside the tree, making his way to Sasuke. He emerged from it, slashing at Sasuke, who jumped back and dodged it. The fight came to a hold, with Sasuke standing meters away from the half emerged snake-user.

Orochimaru looked analytically at Sasuke '_Good. He was able to predict where I was going to move, and attacked accordingly. He must be able to see me, even at mid-jounin-speeds._' Orochimaru gathered wind chakra in his hand, and used a seal-less **'Fūton**: **Reppusho'**, forcing Sasuke to jump away once again.

The raven-haired boy jumped the trees again, until he was just above his opponent. He gathered chakra in his feet, and pushed off, grabbing his opponent in the process. He latched on to the head-down snake-user

"I got you now!"

They approached a branch at increasing speeds. Then they hit it, Orochimaru head first, making cracks in the bark. He stood like that, head buried a few centimeters, before his arms went limp. Sasuke jumped away, watching as the legs also went limp. He almost thought he had won, but then the apparently dead Kusa-nin began to shake, and then transformed back into earth.

"**Kawarmi**?" Sasuke asked, but had to dodge a hail of kunai before he could think further about it. He was forced out over the branch. Mid-air, he took out wires, and latched them onto a small branch, swinging around the whole tree, landing on another branch. Before he could get foothold, his opponent emerged from the shadows, and completely pummeled him with punches and kicks much faster than before. He punched hard, making Sasuke fall on the branch a few meters away.

"Sasuke-kun!"

Sakura arrived, having gotten left behind, and saw the situation. She felt hopeless; she wanted to help, but she was in no condition to do it. She felt so weak, so helpless right now!

Orochimaru walked closer to the Uchiha heir and 'hmph'ed'.

"That was too easy. You're not living up to the name of Uchiha, I'm disappointed. Oh well… I'm going to slowly beat you, and then kill you… Just like a bug" he preached. What he didn't know was that Sasuke had planted small bombs on him. And they went off now. She was surprised by the small blast wave, forcing him to take a few steps forward, and got down on one knee.

Sasuke used the distraction to get back up, and jumped into the air. He threw a bunch larger, different shuriken at his opponent, all connected with wire. They all flew past Orochimaru, and the tree behind him. Soon enough the snake-summoner was surrounded by wires, but it wasn't the end of it. Sasuke pulled at the wires, forcing them to come back at him. For the first time in the fight, he was actually surprised '_These are Sharingan-Controlled Triple Windmill Blades!_' The wires tightened, and he was latched onto the tree.

Sasuke, holding a wire in his mouth, went through hand seals "_**Katon**__: __**Ryuuka **__**no **__**Jutsu**__!_"

A large fire quickly ran all the way with the wire, assaulting Orochimaru's body with intense heat and fire, even burning through the tree behind him. The scream he emitted was other-worldly, and Sakura couldn't help the chills that ran through her body. The intense inferno lasted for a good fifteen seconds before dying slowly down. And there was silence. Neither Sasuke nor Sakura dared move; they knew this opponent was strong, and they weren't going to let their guards down once again. But even then, Sasuke sunk down a bit. This was one of the strongest and most chakra-taxing techniques he knew. And he had already used a lot of both energy and chakra at the fight.

Sakura saw it, and while keeping her guard up, jumped down to him with a limb.

"Sasuke-kun, are you ok? You got to get a hold of yourself" she asked concerned.

He didn't get to answer. His opponent got free of the burned-through wires, and opened his eye in his melted face. Sakura fell down on her knees right away, while Sasuke began shaking once again '_A paralyzing jutsu?_'

"I must say that I'm impressed" he said. But his voice sounded different; almost like two voice overlaying each other. "That you can use your Sharingan so well at your age. You live up to the name of Uchiha indeed" now his voice was completely changed. It was way deeper and older. I want you after all"

Sasuke took a closer look. Half the face was burned off, and underneath were… another face? He could see very pale skin, and around the eyes were purple-like markings. His hitai-ate had also change; it didn't show the Kusa symbol anymore, but the music-note that is the newly founded Otogakure's symbol. He screamed in frustration; would he ever just die?

"You two are definitely brothers" Orochimaru continued. "Your eyes say that you carry more potential than Itachi."

Sasuke froze at the mention of his brother's name "Who are you?!"

"My name is Orochimaru. If you wish to see me again, get through this Exam as if your life depended on it. In other words, you'll have to defeat my subordinates, the three Oto Shinobi."

Sakura couldn't stay quiet anymore "What nonsense are you chattering about? We never want to see your face anymore!"

Orochimaru laughed at her outburst "it doesn't work that way." He brought his hand in a weird seal, and his neck extended. Before either of the Genin realized it, he was biting Sasuke's neck.

"Sasuke-kun!" there was no response.

Orochimaru let go of Sasuke, and brought his neck back to normal size. Three marks appeared on Sasuke's neck. He quickly grasped it in pain.

"Sasuke-kun! You! What have you done to Sasuke-kun!?" Sakura asked with both worry and anger.

"I gave him a farewell present. Sasuke-kun will seek me. He will seek me for power. It was fun being able to see a lot of your moves. But not I got to go… I have an appointment with a certain blond-haired shinobi" he replied as he sunk into the ground

Sakura's eyes went wide "You stay away from Naruto!" But he was already gone. She watched the spot with horror '_I'm sorry Naruto… We couldn't stop him. I hope you will be ok…_' She was broken from her thoughts when she heard Sasuke scream in pain. She got over to him "Get a hold of yourself, Sasuke-kun… Come on!" He screamed one last time, before passing out onto her.

"Sasuke-kun… Naruto-kun…" she almost sound pleadingly. She couldn't hold her tears anymore; the whole situation was just too horrible. There was a maniac named Orochimaru running loose in the forest. He had send Naruto crashing through god knows how many kilometers of forest, had beat up her and Sasuke, giving Sasuke a weird mark in the process, and was now going to find Naruto and probably do the same. It was too much. She hugged Sasuke tightly.

"I… What should I do…?" she asked herself closing her eyes in hopelessness.

'_You're strong Sakura-chan. You just don't realize how strong'_

Her eyes opened again, as she remembered what Naruto had told her. Who was she to ask what she should do? She already knew what she should do.

/-/-/-/-/

**- With Orochimaru -**

The sun had gone down by now. The forest was covered in shadows and darkness. Orochimaru emerged slowly from the earth; the fight had taken a lot more from him, than he had expected.

"I guess I'll rest for now… By tomorrow Naruto-kun should be good as well…" he smiled "I can't wait to see what that Kyuubi-child can do". He leaned up by a tree, slowly sinking into it. When only his head was exposed, he closed his eyes, and resigned himself to the slumber.

/-/-/-/-/

Naruto twisted and turned in his sleep. While he didn't get back to the darkness, he didn't see the light either. But the red-haired woman, who he could only presume was his mother, haunted his dreams with her song. In every corner she saw her red hair, in every place, she heard her song. She was almost there, but not quite.

That was not the only thing that haunted him; he could only imagine what Orochimaru was doing to his teammates and friends. He was angry with himself, angry for charging so carelessly at a so obviously stronger opponent, angry that he got hit by that Fūton jutsu, angry that he got so hurt, and angry that he couldn't heal faster. If it took this long for the Kyuubi to fix him up, then it must've really been bad. The best thing he could do now was rest, and let the fox do its work. Or he would, if someone wasn't talking so loudly

"But, what if he really is what you think he is? What if he loses control and kill us all? What if he destroys the whole forest, us with it? Then A-Sama would declare war because of- OUCH!" a male voice sounded

"Gosh Omoi, that won't happen! Look at him, does he look like he could go on a rampage?" a female voice scolded

"Does Yugito look like she could go on a rampage?" the male retorted

And there was silence for a few seconds. "He got you there" sounded the amused voice of Yugito. The other female sounded like she snorted at it. But what was it they thought he was? Did they know about the Kyuubi? No, they couldn't… could they?

"Why is it we're helping Kumo again?" another male voice sounded. It sounded familiar, as if he had heard it before, and yet he couldn't put a face on it.

"Because they're helping Naruto-kun! And stop complaining now!" Sounded an irate female voice. He knew that voice... it was… Haku! But what was she doing here? That must mean that it was her team that were the other three shapes he had seen before he passed out, with the first three being Yugito's team.

"I-I hope he is o-ok. I can't e-even imagine who co-ould've done something l-like this to him" a nervous voice sounded. Chojuru's voice Naruto concluded.

"Wonder how his weak teammates are. Probably lying dead somewhere" Kouhei said.

His teammates. Sakura! Sasuke! How could he have forgotten about them? He opened his eyes and sat up, surprising the six Genin in the campsite. It was filled with sunlight, so he had slept through the night. That must've been enough rest. He had to go now. He looked around to see their faces. He already knew Haku, Chojuru, Kouhei, and Yugito. The last two he assumed was Yugito's teammates; a boy and a girl. Both had very dark skin, only common in Kumo. The girl had red hair, and the boy had white.

"Naruto-kun! Are you ok?" Haku asked

"Yeah, I am now. But I need to get going" Naruto said

"Hey, you wait just a second mister" the red-haired teammate said. "We help treat you and watch over you, and you're not even going to explain yourself? Who the hell did that to you?"

"Orochimaru" he answered flatly. When he saw their faces of recognition and shock he nodded, "yeah, that Orochimaru, of the Densetsu no Sannin."

"But how do you know that?" the dark-skinned boy asked

"The snake that attacked me" Naruto said while looking for his shinobi gear around the campsite. "The snake dispelled when it died. And only summoned animals does that. And before you ask, I know it was Orochimaru's because only one other person has signed the snake contract; Mitarashi Anko. And as you all know, she isn't allowed to interfere in the exams, unless it's a _really_ dire situation." He paused as he began equipping his gear "even if Orochimaru let someone else sign the contract, it would only be someone who was in league with him. To be honest, I really hope it was Orochimaru, else we have two jounin-plus level shinobi running around in here." He checked if he had all he needed, and then turned towards the two foreign teams "Thank you for treating me, but I really got to find my team. If Orochimaru really is in here, Kami knows what he has done with them." He was about to take off when both Haku's and Yugito's voices sounded

"Wait"

"Hold on"

They turned to look at each other, and Haku continued first "We're coming with you"

"What!?" Kouhei said, while Chojuru just looked even more nervous

"Us too" Yugito then said, causing similar reactions from her two teammates.

Naruto looked at them for a second, and then shook his head "I can't ask you to do anything like that"

Yugito gave him a real cat-smile "then it's good you didn't. We're coming whether you like it or not, right Omoi, Karui?"

Omoi sighed "I guessed it can't be helped… If we don't go, you won't let it go, and you will probably end going off by yourself, and up against one of the Sannin, you will- OUCH"

Karui rubbed her hand "Stop over-thinking things!" She turned to Yugito, took a look at Naruto, and then back at Yugito "I guess if we treated him like that, it wouldn't be very good to let him go on his own. Besides, we already have our scrolls, and there is still over three days till we gotta be at the tower"

Haku was also trying to convince her team, looking at Kouhei with her puppy-eyes. He made the grave mistake of looking, effectively losing the argument. He signed resigned "fine, we'll go with blondie"

The Hyoton-user looked at Chojuru, who just smiled at her "you know I'll go with you anywhere"

The six genie looked at Naruto, expecting him to lead. He smiled broadly at him, and bowed low "thank you very much. You won't regret it! You will have a favor with the future Hokage of Konohagakure!" They nodded at him.

"By the way, how are we going to find your team? This place is rather big, and your team is sure to have moved from where you last saw them. And we need to contact the outside somehow; we can't take on Orochimaru all by ourselves" Omoi said. Karui and Yugito looked surprised at him, as he had actually said something straight to the point. He shrugged and took another lollipop in his mouth "I have my moments."

Naruto grinned at them "Already thought about that." He brought his hands together in a seal none of them recognized; he brought two fingers from each hand into a cross.

**"**_**Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!**_**"**

The whole clearing was covered in smoke. When it had cleared, all six foreign shinobi had eyes as big as teacups. There must've been close to, if not more than, a thousand Naruto's. The original nodded at them "you all know what to do. Look far and wide after Sakura and Sasuke. If you find them, then make another clone, and make it dispel. If you get the knowledge that one has found them, find a hiding spot, and try not to get spotted. Dispel twenty every five minutes by then. Now, go!" With that the blond army jumped through the trees. Soon enough there was only the original Naruto with his new allies.

Karui got out of her daze "That takes care of that, but how are we going to contact the outside? We can't exactly just go out a gate."

Naruto only shushed her, making her glare a bit. Naruto brought his hands together in the ram seal and concentrated. '_Feel the chakra throughout your body. Mold it, and focus it at the hara… Compress it into a sphere, squeeze and compress from every side. Once it compressed as much as possible, release it all at once!_'

The six Genin were shocked once again, as Naruto's navel area began glow blue with chakra, and even more so when it expelled in a thick wall of chakra, knocking them all of their feet. They could see it go on and on throughout the forest in all direction. Naruto panted lightly, but it wasn't too bad "Hokage-Jiji knows that I'm the only one in the village that can do that. When he sees it, he will know something is wrong"

"B-but Naruto-k-kun, the Hokage-mansion is in the o-other end of the v-village" Chojuru said

Kouhei snorted "Yeah, do you expect it to travel over hundred-and-twenty kilometers?"

Naruto shrugged "It will travel at least ninety kilometers, which is enough. He will be able to see it, and if he doesn't, the ANBU are sure to alert him." He ignored the look of awe from five of the six, and then got a stern look in the face.

"Now, we really need to get going."

With that he started moving; the Kumo and Kiri teams following him close behind. While he knew the situation was dire, he couldn't help but be impressed by their little gathering. Here he was helped by a team from Kumo, a village Konoha was barely having any relations to at the moment, and a team from Kiri, a village that had been ravaged by civil war, and hadn't been in alliances – ever.

He jumped through the forest, getting to the location he had last seen his teammates '_Sakura-chan… Sasuke-teme… Please be ok_'

/-/-/-/-/-/

**Sen'eijashu - Hidden Shadow Snake Hands:** This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades.

This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body, as seen when Orochimaru created a snake in his mouth to attack the Sandaime Hokage during their battle.

**Kuchiyose no Jutsu – Summoning technique:** The Kuchiyose no Jutsu is a space–time Ninjutsu that allows the summoner to transport animals or people across long distances instantly.

Before an animal summoning can be performed, a prospective summoner must first sign a contract with a given species. The contract comes in the form of a scroll, on which the contractor uses their own blood to sign their name and place their fingerprints and once signed is valid even after the contractors death. After this they need only offer an additional donation of blood on the hand they signed the contract with, mold their chakra with hand seals and then plant the hand they signed the contract with at the location they wish to summon the creature. The amount of chakra used during the summoning determines how powerful the summoned creature can be.

It should be noted that anyone can summon a contracted animal as long as they have the blood from someone who has made a contract, the _seal_ of the summoned creature, along with a source of sufficient chakra that the summon will accept. A creature is capable of determining who is attempting to summon it from the chakra used.

Once summoned, the animal can perform a task or help the user in battle. The summon is not required to help the user, and may be more of a hindrance than an ally. In addition, summons are able to summon their summoner. They may also wear a hitai-ate, suggesting a loyalty to only one village, or clan.

**Katon: Ryuuka no Jutsu – Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique:** The user breathes fire along a cord or any other type of long object, which rushes forward in straight line catching the enemy on fire. A line of enemies can be used as the conductor as well. The flames are meant to target, and assault the enemy's upper body just like a projectile weapon.


	12. Preparing for battle against the snake!

**Chapter 12:**** Preparing for battle against the snake!**

/-/-/-/-/

_The six Genin were shocked once again, as Naruto's navel area began glow blue with chakra, and even more so when it expelled in a thick wall of chakra, knocking them all of their feet. They could see it go on and on throughout the forest in all direction. Naruto panted lightly, but it wasn't too bad "Hokage-Jiji knows that I'm the only one in the village that can do that. When he sees it, he will know something is wrong"_

"_B-but Naruto-k-kun, the Hokage-mansion is in the o-other end of the v-village" Chojuru said_

_Kouhei snorted "Yeah, do you expect it to travel over hundred-and-twenty kilometers?"_

_Naruto shrugged "It will travel at least ninety kilometers, which is enough. He will be able to see it, and if he doesn't, the ANBU are sure to alert him." He ignored the look of awe from five of the six, and then got a stern look in the face._

"_Now, we really need to get going."_

_With that he started moving; the Kumo and Kiri teams following him close behind. While he knew the situation was dire, he couldn't help but be impressed by their little gathering. Here he was helped by a team from Kumo, a village Konoha was barely having any relations to at the moment, and a team from Kiri, a village that had been ravaged by civil war, and hadn't been in alliances – ever._

_He jumped through the forest, getting to the location he had last seen his teammates _'Sakura-chan… Sasuke-teme… Please be ok'

/-/-/-/-/

Team 9, consisting of Higarashi Tenten, Hyuuga Neji, and Rock Lee, were jumping through the canopies of the forty-fourth training ground. They had already beaten down some Kusa Genin, and were lucky enough that they had had the Scroll of Earth – the scroll they needed. Now they were jumping, running, and anything in between, as fast as they could towards the tower. The longer they were in the forest, the bigger the risk was that they would be taken down by an opposing team.

They hadn't really talked much more than necessary, mostly because of Neji. He was still… upset Tenten guessed, because she had withhold information about 'an enemy', as Neji so affectionately had called him, from her team. Tenten sighed: she had respect for the branch-member of the Hyuuga clan, but he really could be a pain in the ass. It wouldn't hurt him to loosen up just the slightest.

Naruto had told her his Shoton secret, and had specifically asked her not to tell anyone, so of course she hadn't. That didn't matter anymore because of that four-eyed Kabuto-something. She wasn't going to betray her blond friend. While she didn't know why, she did know that he didn't have any friends… well now he had that pink-head, his crush nonetheless, as his friend too.

"Argh!" it came from Neji as he deactivated his Doujutsu, almost at the same time as birds from almost every tree took off.

"Are you all right?" Lee said, already being beside the kneeling Neji.

Said stoic Hyuuga blinked a few times, apparently to get spots away from his eyes. "Prepare yo-", was all he managed say before the air became thick and electric. Tenten and Lee immediately got into a defensive stance around the still half-blind Hyuuga, ready for anything coming at them. Soon after they saw what had blinded their teammate and making the noise; a fast-moving, thick wall of chakra. They braced themselves as it washed over them, ticking their skin in the process. As fast as it had appeared, it disappeared along with the humming and electricity.

"What was that!?" Neji asked to himself as much as his teammates. Tenten had a pretty good idea of what it was… she just hoped she wasn't right. Because if she was, then-

"Tenten, look at your pouch!" Lee exclaimed pointing at said pouch with large motions. Tenten twisted herself to see what he was talking about: through the crack of her pouch you could see a dimmed pink glow. She took the pouch off and put it on the ground. With her teammates at her side, they all crouched down, and carefully opened it to see what could be the source of the light. Lee's eyes showed recognition, while Neji's was immediately scrunched into a glare, as she took the crystal six-sided shuriken she had gotten from Naruto so long ago. She had a habit of taking it anywhere, even on missions. But she had never seen it like this: slowly pulsing with energy, and emitting beautiful light.

Neji turned his glare from the shuriken to his female teammate, "_what_ is that?"

Tenten didn't answer right away: She was going over the possibilities of why Naruto had used that big chakra wave. Surely he must've mastered it enough by now to not make such a big one… which meant that he was sending a message… he was in trouble! Determination etched its way onto her face

"It's a gift from Naruto. We have to find him now!" she said, getting up from her squatting position and faced the way the chakra had come from

"No we are not! We need to get to the tower as fast as possible!" Neji said harshly. That blond was only fated to be last, not matter if he had a Kekkai Genkai or not, and he wouldn't waste his time on him.

"I don't care if you will come or not, Neji!" Tenten said in an equally harsh tone, surprising the other members of her team: she never talked to them like that. "Naruto is one of my best friends, and he is in trouble! I will go either way!"

Lee, who had stayed quiet so far, rather impressively if you take into account that he, was, and decided to finally come with an input. "Neji, I will go with Tenten. Naruto-kun is also my friend, and I will not leave him if he is in trouble", he said in a calm but decisive voice.

The Hyuuga prodigy changed between glaring at the green-clothed boy, and the weapon-mistress, before finally giving in with an annoyed sigh, "fine. Let's go find him then."'

With that, Team 9 took off further into the Forest of Death to find a certain sapphire-eyed Genin from Konoha.

/-/-/-/-/

The examiner for the second exam, Mitarashi Anko, was sitting on top of the stall where the Genin had come to get their scrolls. She was swinging her legs lightly and drinking a broth, while chewing on her favorite snack – a dango.

"Yum! Sweet red bean broth goes best with dango!" she said out loud to no one in particular. She took another bit of her dango-stick, "After I eat this, I guess I'll go wait at the tower for the guys who get through this." She bit the last dango off, "this program is made so that the good ones should be arriving there about now." She threw the stick at the tree beside the stall, now showing a full Konoha symbol, made completely from dango-sticks.

"The Konoha mark is complete", she said with a cheerful voice and smiling/grinning to herself.

She was just about to take off, when smoke exploded in front of her and one of the Chunin guards appeared in from it. He was kneeling lightly, "we have an emergency, Anko-Sama!"

Anko frowned, "What is it all of a sudden…?"

"Corpses. Three of them."

Anko kept looking at him, showing him that she wanted more information.

"There is something strange about them… Please come with me", the Chunin asked almost desperately.

"Strange?" Anko asked to herself more than the Chunin.

**- A few minutes later -**

Anko and the Chunin arrived at the scene. Two more Chunin guards were there, guarding the bodies. Anko recognized them as Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, also known as 'the eternal chunin's', not that she cared about that.

The snake mistress noticed what this place was. She immediately gritted her teeth in anger, '_one thing is to kill inside the protective walls of Konoha, but it's a whole 'nother thing to kill _here_'_. What she was referring to was the small shrines beside the bodies, now splattered with blood. This was a holy place… even shinobi had a few of those. Even countries a war didn't desecrate holy sites if they could help. For someone to kill here… they either extremely ignorant, or they really meant business. Anko didn't know what she wanted the most… While it would be bad for someone to really want to fight Konoha, an ignorant enemy could be just as dangerous.

Anko was snapped out from her fuming when one of the Chunin, Kotetsu, spoke up, "From their possessions and ID's… We found out that they are shinobi from Kusagakure who registered for the Chunin Selection Exams. But as you can see…"

Anko looked closer and found out what he was talking about, "Their faces are gone…"

"Yes, their faces are gone as if they were melted off."

Anko's right arm moved up to where her cursed seal was, as reality began to hit her. '_There's no doubt… This jutsu is… _his_… But why is he at this exam?'_ She turned towards the Chunin who had reported to her at the stall

"Show me the pictures of these Kusa shinobi. It should be in their applications", she said with urgency in her voice. If she was right – and Kami did she hope she wasn't – then there was a predator, much worse than the animals, inside that forest with the Genin.

"Hai", the Chunin said and quickly took out three photographs. She looked at the picture, recognizing the face from the day before at the briefing, '_So he took this guy's face? Then… He must have taken it already back then.'_

She turned towards the Chunin with a very serious face, "This is Ser-". She was interrupted by the chipping of thousands of birds. The four Konoha-shinobi all turned towards the source, in the direction of the Forest of Death, and saw the sky grown dark by the birds flying away. Then they saw what they were fleeing from: an almost solid-looking wall of chakra was flying through the air at incredible speeds, and didn't seem to slow or lose power or density in the progress. They all braced themselves as the thick chakra washed over them, making their hair stand on every inch of their bodies. When they were through it, they looked back to see it keep going towards the village, and in every other direction.

Anko recognized it… A similar wave had washed over a quarter of the village – much smaller than the current one – a few months ago. She was told by the Sandaime that it was that blond kid that had done it… Anko's unsettlement just grew stronger. She turned her face towards the Chunin again, who were all looking at the light blue wall in awe.

"Listen up!" she half-snapped, catching their attentions again, "This is no drill. You three let Sandaime Hokage-Sama know about this right away. And request for a mobilization of at least two ANBU squads to the Forest of Death. Also tell him that Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin have returned! I will go after these guys now. Understood?"

"Hai", they all said unison, and jumped off towards the village and Hokage-tower.

She stood a few seconds, just staring at the bodies while holding her seal, '_He… He's back in Konohagakure… But why…?_' Anko's eyes widened in realization, '_What is it that snake wants more than anything in the world? Power… And who inside those fences have power? That Uchiha-brat and the Shoton kid… And it was the Shoton kid who used that big chakra wall! I gotta find them. If I find them, then I'll find him!'_ And she took off at her top speed towards the forest.

/-/-/-/-/

The seven Genin, all from various nations throughout the Elemental Nations, were all heading through the thick undergrowth of the forest. Normally they would've taken the treetops, being an advantage point where you could see far in any direction, but this particular section of the forest was half-rotten – more so than any other part of the forest -, meaning that they would risk breaking branches. That could result in both injury, and letting the enemy know where they were, none of the choices being good in the situation. Although, none of the other Genin teams would go up against seven other Genin, it wasn't them they were worried about.

They were currently heading through the few kilometers of forest that Naruto had crashed through the day before. Now, many times he had cursed the Kyuubi to hell and back for what it had caused him, but right now he was glad he had it in him. He knew that without its chakra, he would either be dead, or at least extremely wounded.

As they ran, he could see from the corner of his eye, that the Kumo-Kunoichi that had changed his bandages was staring at him, not even trying to hide the fact. He glanced back at his companions, lingering a bit longer on the blonde girl from Kumo. As soon as he did, she looked away. He frowned, '_There is something about her… I just can't put my finger on it_'.

'_**She is the same as you**_**'**, the deep sinister voice of the Kyuubi sounded in his mind. He halted his movements for second in surprise; the fox had never spoken to him since the _incident_ in Nami no Kuni. Well, once more during training with Ero-sennin, but never since.

/-/-/-/-/

_**- Flashback, training with Jiraiya -**_

"_I don't really know if I can do it again, Ero-sennin", it came from Naruto._

"_You just have to try hard enough. All Jinchurriki is able to speak with the Bijuu sealed inside them sooner or later, in one way or another. And you have already spoken to it once", the response came from Jiraiya_

"_Yeah, but that was when I had been shot – twice -, had almost zero chakra left, and was drowning. I have tried again and again to make contact to it, but it doesn't work! What would you have me do? Throw myself off a cliff!?" Naruto said frustrated. He was silent for a few seconds, and then looked straight at the Gama sennin, "That wasn't a suggestion. If you ever do that to me, you will find out why they called me 'prankster king from hell'. I may not have done any pranks since I graduated from the Academy, but it doesn't mean I don't want to, or have forgotten how to."_

_Jiraiya shuddered slightly at the thought. Although he hadn't been much in Konoha while Naruto grew up, he had heard the stories… If the boy was able to paint the Hokage Monument in broad daylight without getting notices, and sneaking into the Hyuuga Clan compound, steal all their robes, and dye them bright orange, then he couldn't, or rather wouldn't, imagine what he could do to him._

_He put the thoughts behind him, as his thoughts returned to the current problem, "Look, you have done it before. The first couple of times are always the hardest. But after the first time it is just the slightest easier, since you know what to do. Just try it again, please."_

_The whiskered Genin sighed and sat down. The two Konoha shinobi were in the middle of a grassy field, inside a sealed-off area. The reason for that was what Naruto was training in; tapping into the Kyuubi's chakra. After what happened in Nami, and Jiraiya was sure the seal wasn't breaking, he had wanted Naruto to be able to tap into the chakra whenever he wanted to. And it wasn't as if Naruto couldn't see the advantage of it. If he could use it _before_ he was dying, it would be nice._

_But he still had the problem of actually making contact to the fox. For the last two or three hours he had been sitting in this field, just meditating. And nothing happened. Nothing at all…_

_He sighed as he thought '_well, twenty-seventh time's the charm'._ He closed his eyes and slowed his breath. In, out, in, out, in, out…_

_He opened his eyes again, ready to lash out at Jiraiya and tell him it still didn't work. But he stopped as soon as he his eyes opened, and was looking down a damp sewer. He had done it! Now all he had to do was to find the beast… should be easy enough._

_Soon enough he was standing in front of the same iron bars as he had a month or so ago. The eyes of the fox opened up_

**"**_**You're back… Come closer", **__it __came __from __the __fox_

_Naruto frowned, "How stupid do you think I am? Wait, on second thought, I don't want to hear your 'ageless' opinion. Last time I was here you just tried to shred me."_

_A chuckle came from behind the bars, as the fox in all its might and glory came out from the shadows, "So, you're not as stupid as I thought. You even managed to trick chakra from me last time… Impressive. None of your predecessors had the guts to do that"_

_The blond human smirked back at the beast standing in front of him, "If I didn't know better, I would say you were complimenting me, Kyuubi."_

_The grin on the fox's face turned into a scowl right away__**, "Don't press your luck, human! I'm just saying you're that less puny than the rest of your race! Now, why are you here! I am suffering enough being stuck in here, without having to deal with the likes of you!"**_

"_I want to use your chakra when I call for it", Naruto stated firmly, not beating around the bush._

_This time the Kyuubi right out laughed at him, __**"And why did you think I would agree to that?"**_

"_As I said last time; if I die, then you die."_

**"**_**Not good enough."**_

_Naruto scowled a bit. This was more difficult than he had initially thought… but then again; he was trying to get the chakra of a Bijuu. He pondered of things he could offer the fox, without putting himself at risk. The fox and the human locked eyes, while Naruto thought over the things he could offer; a feat that Kyuubi thought was most impressive – but he would never admit that._

_Finally Naruto spoke, "What about this: I will grant you access to see what I see, and hear what I hear."_

"_And why would I want that?" Kyuubi asked sounding disinterested_

"_You said it yourself; you have nothing to do in here", Naruto motioned to the 'room'._

**"**_**I said no such thing!"**__ Kyuubi growled_

"_Pft, you did too. Anyway, if you can see and hear what I do, then you have _something_ to do."_

_The fox stayed quiet for a minute or so, actually thinking about the offer. Neither Mito nor Kushina had offered anything like this to him. He looked at the human in front of him, locking gazes again. He stayed like this for about three or four minutes, Naruto not wavering once. Finally it growled__**, "Very well. But don't think you will be able to tap into all my chakra! I will give you enough to fight a fight, but nothing more and nothing less!"**_

"_Deal", it came from Naruto. To be honest, he hadn't expected anything more._

_He opened his eyes – for real this time – and grinned largely at his teacher. Said teacher was looking expectantly at him._

"_Did you do it?" the old pervert asked his student. He had a pretty good idea what the answer would be, with the large grin and all, but with Naruto you could never know._

"_Hai! I did!" the now very happy Naruto said, and brought his hands together in the ram seal. A few seconds later Jiraiya could feel the fox's chakra leak out around him, in a much larger quantity than he had expected. Now the real training could begin!_

/-/-/-/-/

_**- Flashback End -**_

He frowned, '_Kyuubi, I didn't give you access to my thoughts! How are you able to do talk to me this way!?'_

'_**Relax human'**_, the fox growled,_** 'it's something all Jinchurriki are able to do with their Bijuu – if the Bijuu are willing to do it. I can't hear anything you.' **_Half-lying since it could.

Naruto sighed in relief. He really didn't want the fox to hear his thoughts – it would be something it could use against him. He then remembered the statement the fox had come with, '_what do you mean that she is like me?'_

'_**She holds Matatabi'**_ it said in his mind

'_Who?_' Naruto asked confused

'_**The Nibi. She is the Jinchurriki of the Nibi'**_

'_So that's why she keeps looking at me like that… And it's why I felt something about her'_, he hummed to himself. Then he realized what the fox had told him,_ 'Hey, wait a second! You called the Nibi, Matatabi! Why did you call it Matatabi? Is that its real name? I knew your name couldn't be Kyuubi! What is _your_ name then?'_ Naruto asked, laying two and two together. He didn't get an answer. Just silence. He chuckled evilly to himself, and getting some looks from his companions.

Omoi leaned over to Karui, "Hey Karui, do you think he is ok? He seems a bit… off."

Karui didn't answer, or hit Omoi; she just kept looking at Naruto. Yugito however, _Nibi?_

'**My guess is he trying to get that stubborn old fox to talk. The fact he is having a conversation with the old king is surprising,' **the female cat demon spoke up.

_So he is Jinchurriki… What do mean old King?_

'**Promise to tell you later when we are all out of this hellhole,' **Nibi winks as she goes silent.

'_Fine'_, Naruto 'said' to the Kyuubi, '_if you don't want to tell me, I guess I will just have to come up with a name for you until you want to tell me… Ruben? Nah, to easy…'_ He mused for himself for a minute or so, finally coming up with a name, '_I got it! From now on I will call you Anthony! At least until you tell me your real name. Anyway, Anthony, how come you're suddenly talking to me…? Anthony? Are you there Anthony?'_

'_**For crying out-! Fine! My real name is Kurama! Just don't call me something as vile as **_**Anthony**_**!'**_ it snarled in his mind, spitting out Naruto's affectionate nickname like poison, more so than he had done with the word 'human'. The blond Konoha Genin snickered to himself at his little victory. _**'And to why I'm speaking to you? That's my own business!'**_

Naruto didn't answer. They had finally reached the place he had seen Orochimaru first. Naruto sighed in relief: no bodies. The snake Sannin could of course have taken the bodies with him, but there wasn't any blood either.

"What now?" Kouhei asked.

"Well", Naruto said, "Now we look around to see sign of battle. Sasuke may be an ass, but he wouldn't go down without a fight."

Kouhei snorted again, "He was up against a Sannin. He can't have been much of fight".

Naruto glared lightly at the Kiri-nin. What was his problem anyway? He wanted to give him a piece of his mind, but settled with just saying, "Don't underestimate Konoha's shinobi."

The Kiri Genin was about to retort when Haku gave him a sharp elbow in the rips.

"Ok, so now- watch out!" it came from Karui.

Naruto turned around to see what she was talking about; a lot of shuriken and kunai was hailing towards the seven Genin. Naruto quickly stepped in front of his new friends, and quickly went through a couple of seals, "_**Doton**__: __**Doryuuheki**__!_" he cried out, and slammed his hands onto the earth.

There was a big rumble, and a medium sized wall made of earth sprouted out of the earth in front of them, effectively defending them against the shinobi weapons thrown against them. When there weren't any more weapons to deflect, he lowered the wall to not hinder their sight around them. Not long after he had done so did a dark chuckle resonate from the shadows of the forest – the same dark chuckle Naruto had heard before.

The Kyuubi Jinchurriki narrowed his eyes into a glare, "Come out, Orochimaru!"

"Ku ku ku," it sounded as said person came out from under a tree, "so you figured it out, did you Naruto-kun. I'm surprised that you're able to go. But that is to be expected by the Kyuubi Jinchurriki!"

Naruto ignored the gasp from the Kiri team, and just kept looking at Orochimaru. He glanced over at Yugito, who were looking back at him with a face that said 'I knew it!' He looked back at Orochimaru, "Yugito-san, don't hesitate to use the Nibi, if you can."

She looked at him with a plane face, "how long have you known?"

"Not long. Kyuubi told me that he sensed Nibi within you, on the way here."

"Oh!" it came from Orochimaru, "What do we have here? A little kitten lost in the woods? Did you know that snakes eat cats?"

"Shut up!" Naruto said and began channeling his tenant's chakra, "Now, tell me where my team is!"

Orochimaru chuckled, "and why would I do that? Sasuke-kun and I had so much fun. I even gave him a little gift. A gift I might also give you… if you're lucky".

"You can keep your gift to yourself!" The blond yelled back. He was beginning to get really pissed at this snake, "If you won't tell me, I will just have to force it out of you!"

"Naruto, don't!" Haku said in worry of her friend from Konoha, but it was too late: Naruto had already taken off. Now all she could do was to help him as much as she could.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Doton: Doryuuheki - Earth Release: Earth-style Wall:** The user creates a solid wall of earth as a form of defense. Chakra is either converted to earth within the body or then spat out to form the wall, or the user can manipulate pre-existing earth to form the wall. The earth then instantly rises up and takes form. The barrier itself is also coated with chakra, making its strength incomparable to that of a normal mud wall. Because of the earth's special characteristics, the wall is highly resistant against, for instance, fire and water.


	13. The Fox and The Snake

**Chapter 13:**** The Fox and the Snake**

/-/-/-/-/

_The Kyuubi Jinchurriki narrowed his eyes into a glare, "Come out, Orochimaru!"_

_"Ku ku ku," it sounded as said person came out from under a tree, "so you figured it out, did you Naruto-kun. I'm surprised that you're able to go. But that is to be expected by the Kyuubi Jinchurriki!"_

_Naruto ignored the gasp from the Kiri team, and just kept looking at Orochimaru. He glanced over at Yugito, who were looking back at him with a face that said 'I knew it!' He looked back at Orochimaru, "Yugito-san, don't hesitate to use the Nibi, if you can."_

_She looked at him with a plane face, "how long have you known?"_

_"Not long. Kyuubi told me that he sensed Nibi within you, on the way here."_

_"Oh!" it came from Orochimaru, "What do we have here? A little kitten lost in the woods? Did you know that snakes eat cats?"_

_"Shut up!" Naruto said and began channeling his tenant's chakra, "Now, tell me where my team is!"_

_Orochimaru chuckled, "and why would I do that? Sasuke-kun and I had so much fun. I even gave him a little gift. A gift I might also give you… if you're lucky"._

_"You can keep your gift to yourself!" The blond yelled back. He was beginning to get really pissed at this snake, "If you won't tell me, I will just have to force it out of you!"_

_"Naruto, don't!" Haku said in worry of her friend from Konoha, but it was too late: Naruto had already taken off. Now all she could do was to help him as much as she could._

/-/-/-/-/

Hiruzen was sitting quietly in his office doing the bane of his existence – paperwork. There was even more than usual, since the Chunin Exams was being held in Konoha. And it would probably only increase over the next few weeks as the Third Exam approached. With the preparations for the Kazekage to come and attend the exam, plus all the noblemen- and women… he already knew that he would be getting very little sleep. How his predecessor had managed to always be done with the paperwork – and have an active social life on top of that – he would never know. Most fortunate for him, he had gotten letters from both the Mizukage and Raikage, and neither of them would be attending the Finals. Whereas Raikage hadn't seen fit to tell why, the newly instated Mizukage had written that she couldn't leave her village and country when the transition from Yagura's regime. That just meant less work for him to do.

Sarutobi sighed as he signed yet another formality paper and leaned back into his office-chair. He looked tiredly at the mess on his table; multiple stacks of papers, whereas the right, or 'finished', stacks of paper was barely the third the size of the left, or 'yet to be signed', stacks of paper. He groaned slightly and massaged his temples.

"I'm getting too old for this," he mumbled to himself and began signing again, thinking back to the happy year that he was actually retired, and happily at that. He would have stayed so if there had been a suitable successor. But the only previously one, Jiraiya, became a bit of a mess when Minato had died. And Tsunade had already left the village by then. But if he was lucky, he only needed to endure the job a few more years, and then Naruto could take over. Just maybe.

He shook the thoughts from his head and picked up another paper. It was a request for putting up a stall along the main-road during the finals. He sighed again; why did people think that they could get a spot only weeks before the event? As soon as the date for the finals had been announced, he had been swarmed with requests, and all the available spots had been taken… He was sure that they would spot more than a few un-approved stalls during the final. Just what he needed: More work.

He put the paper in the 'rejected' stack, picked up another paper, and was just about to read it. That's when he felt it; a massive chakra output. And it was coming from a southeastern direction outside the village… in the direction of the Forest of Death. But surely it couldn't come from the forest; it was too far away, and no one in there should be able to produce so much chakra. Only Kage- or Sannin-level shinobi should be able to do it.

An unsettling frown settled on his face as he rose from his seat and walked to the window – the one Jiraiya was so fond of using as a doorway. He looked over the village, trying to spot any and all things that could be related to the chakra outburst. He narrowed his eyes; even if he was able to train so his shinobi abilities wouldn't deteriorate too fast, the same couldn't be said about his bodily functions. He had noticed the last several months that his eyesight had gotten worse, just ever so slightly.

First he thought his eyes were messing him: Near the horizon the air was black with birds, and behind them the air seemed to… shimmer? Yes, it was defiantly shimmering. He walked over to his desk, opened the drawer and put on the glasses he wasn't too fond of using, despite Naruto saying he looked fine in them. He looked out the window, and could still see the shimmering. He quickly concluded that it wasn't just his eyes.

The shimmering air moved fast towards the city, expanding as it did so. Hiruzen's eyes widened, '_Are we under attack? Now of all times?_' He had to think quickly. While looking at the approaching wall of energy, he had the weirdest feeling that he had seen something like this before. Perhaps during one of the two wars he had participated in?

Then it hit him: It was Naruto who had done this.

'_But why?_' Hiruzen thought. '_Why would he do it? From the reports I have gotten from Jiraiya, he should've enough chakra control to NOT make it this big. Why then? Maybe… Maybe he made it this big on purpose? But what could've made him done that?'_

The wave or energy, or chakra Hiruzen now knew it was, slowly dispersed about three quarters of the way to his office. It was not very long after three Chunin arrived in the office by the use of Shunshin no jutsu. He recognized two of them as Hagane Kotetsu and Kamizuki Izumo, or 'The Eternal Chunin' as they had become to be known as. He didn't recognize the third by name, but he knew that he assigned all three Chunin as guards during the exams. He narrowed his eyes: this couldn't be good.

"Hokage-Sama!" it came from one Kamizuki Izumo.

"Kamizuki-san, report!" Hiruzen ordered.

"Approximately four minutes ago we discovered three corpses at The Shrines. We called Anko-Sama immediately after the discovery. She examined the bodies, and she said…" Izumo glanced over at his partner.

Kotetsu saw his friend trouble and immediately stepped forward. "She said it was the work of Orochimaru, sir. She said that Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin is back in Konoha." Hiruzen's breath hitched as he remembered his old, and for a long time most promising, student. Orochimaru was back. But what was he after?

'_What can cause him to return here after so long?'_ Sarutobi worriedly thought, '_what have changed for him to decide it is time?' _The old Hokage's eyes widened. He swirled around and looked out of the window, in the direction of The Forest of Death. '_Naruto!_'

**"TORA!** **NEKO!"** The Sandaime Hokage ordered entering his full 'Hokage-mode', making the three Chunin wince lightly. Two ANBU members appeared in the middle of the office kneeling.

"You called Hokage-Sama," it came from the right ANBU, who was wearing the Neko mask.

"Tora, alarm the ANBU that Orochimaru or the Densetsu no Sannin is back and most probably within the Forest of Death right now! I want seven patrols around The Forest. And you, Neko, you will call Hotaru's and Usagi's teams to meet me at twenty-third entrance of The Forest in ten minutes! We are going in after him!"

"Hai," the two ANBU answered and disappeared in two leafy Shunshin.

Hiruzen turned his attention towards the still present Chunin. "You have done good to give me this information. I will require you to keep it a secret for now; we don't need worry the citizens and shinobi alike with it just yet."

"Hai," they all answered.

"Good then. You're free from duty for now," the Sandaime Hokage said and stormed out the doorway before getting an answer. He needed to get into his fighting gear as fast as possible.

/-/-/-/-/

"Tell me what you have done to Sasuke and Sakura!" Naruto sneered at the snake of his opponent, as he tried to slash him yet another time with his blood-red crystal tanto. Orochimaru easily dodged it by leaning unnaturally back, and let the blade fly over him. Naruto didn't give up though. He gathered his chakra in his left hand, making the crystal in his Kessho no Yoroi thicken. He then threw the punch in the direction of Orochimaru's face. For a second or two, it actually seemed like it would hit, but just as it was about to, Orochimaru somehow got out of the way, and jumped a few meters away. Naruto's fist continued right into a tree, making splinters flies in all direction.

"Ku ku ku," the crazy snake summoner laughed. "That is it, Naruto-kun, show me your power!"

"Stand still and I will show you my power, bastard!" the crimson-eyed blond yelled, jumping up and came down for a kick to Orochimaru's face. True to his nature, Orochimaru twisted out of the kick and laughed at the Konoha Genin.

"Naruto!" Yugito called. "Calm down! You're falling into his trap!" Naruto glanced over at his… acquaintance. She was right; there was no way he was getting Orochimaru if he kept raging like this. He needed to think clearly. He looked back at the snake, and fought back the bubbling anger that was only growing stronger because of his tenant's chakra. He stopped charging after the Sannin for a second, and took a deep breath to calm himself down. He had trained for this; to use the Kyuubi's chakra, without letting it affect him too much.

The six foreign shinobi was relieved to see that they had finally broken through to their Konoha friend. They had been at it for a few minutes, also trying to help the fight go into the favor of their side. But each time they had been about to cast a jutsu, the Kyuubi Jinchurriki had gotten in the way, and they were forced to abort, less they wanted to hurt the one they were trying to help.

Especially Haku had been affected by the Shoton-user's reaction. She hadn't been able to recognize the blond Konoha-Genin at all: He had been nothing like the calm opponent she had fought in Nami no Kuni. '_He must really care for his friends to get this mad'_ Haku thought. She was brought back to reality as Orochimaru taunted Naruto once again.

"My, my, you're strong. Too bad you can't hit anything. Little Sasuke-kun was much better," the S-rank missing-nin said with a taunting smirk.

Naruto could feel the anger bubble up in him again, and forced it down. '_No matter how hard I try, I simply can't hit him,'_ Naruto thought more than a little irritated, trying to find a way to hit his pale-skinned opponent. '_If Taijutsu doesn't work, I'll use Ninjutsu! That bastard isn't getting away before he tells me where Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme is!'_

Orochimaru analyzed the blond Genin from where he was standing, '_he seems to have calmed somewhat down. He has that much control over the Kyuubi then.'_

"Well, unlike Sasuke, I'm not really specialized in a Taijutsu style," Naruto said and began forming seals. "But then again, he doesn't really have much Ninjutsu other than that Katon jutsu of his."

Orochimaru just showed his wicked grin. "Oh ho ho! We're going to do some playing with Ninjutsu now, are we? Very well, Naruto-kun, let's see what you got."

Naruto just narrowed his eyes and finished the last seal. "_**Shoton**__: __**Kessho**__**Hachidori**__!_" Crystal began forming on the ground and in the air. Soon enough started to merge, taking shapes of hundreds of small lumps. Soon enough they grew wings, beaks, and legs. Before Orochimaru knew it, Naruto had formed hundreds of small crystal hummingbirds, unlike anything he had seen before. And that was saying a lot.

And then there was the color of the crystal again: It was blood red. It just screamed of anger and hate, making the small hummingbirds seems way more intimidating than they would be without the color. Well, intimidating to anyone not of the Snake Sannin's caliber.

The reason that the snake Sannin was surprised of the color was because that, as far as he knew, Guren was only able to make crystal that was colored either pink, or blue – not red. '_It must be because of him using the Kyuubi's chakra,'_ Orochimaru concluded.

The small group of Genin that was present was all awestruck by the jutsu.

"They're beautiful," it came from Chojuru.

"I know," Karui agreed. "I can't believe how detailed they are! I mean, you can make out what looks like feathers on them!" The rest could only nod dumbstruckedly.

The moment was over as the crystal birds began fluttering their wings, and thus making a lot of noise. They started moving towards their target – Orochimaru. Said Sannin couldn't help but grin, '_this is going to be so much fun!'_ He began running away from the fast approaching hummingbirds, transforming his legs into a kind of snake tail, causing his own speed to increase.

The birds began attacking him. They were kamikaze him – with their sharp beak first. First he didn't think much of it, but was soon brought on better thoughts, as one of the birds went almost fifteen centimeters into the bark of a tree, before shattering and thus making cuts around the initial impact point. Orochimaru slithered up the trees, twisted himself through branches, and slithered over the pond to get rid of the birds – which despite keeping up with the bombardment toward him, didn't seem to have lost many of their numbers.

Naruto used the cover to get back to the Kumo and Kiri teams. "That should buy us a minute or so," he said as he landed beside Haku and Chojuru. He looked over at Yugito, "Thanks for… calming me."

"No problem," she said with a small smile, "I know how it is." It was true, Naruto realized. She _did_ know how it was, having Bijuu chakra flowing through your body. Even with the gravity of the moment, Naruto couldn't help but feel happy that he had found a person who could relate to what he had been, and was, going through. He didn't know how to respond, so he settled with an acknowledging nod.

"So, any do any of you guys have a plan?" Kouhei asked in a carefree voice, while eyeing the Snake Sannin with very bored eyes.

"Hold him off until the ANBU gets here," the only Konoha shinobi present answered.

"Really?" Kouhei asked tauntingly, "That is your great plan? To hold him off?"

"Do you have any better idea, _Kouhei_?" Naruto sneered back. "He is a _Sannin_ for crying out loud! We have no chance against him, so our only hope is that the ANBU get here fast!"

Kouhei was about to retort when Chojuru stepped in front of him, "Kouhei, stop! Naruto-san is right; we have no other choice." Kouhei didn't answer, just settled with grumbling.

"None of us stand a chance if we go alone," Omoi, "Well maybe Naruto-san and Yugito would but they are both Jinchurriki. Think; if they both went up against him, but lost their cool, then they would – ouch!"

Karui blew on her fist, "what my friend here is trying to say is that none of us stands a chance alone; we need to work together."

"Agreed," it came from Naruto.

'_Little Guren never did something like this. Maybe Naruto-kun here is perfect for the Shoton Kekkai Genkai',_ Orochimaru thought to himself while dodging the ferocious hummingbirds. '_Maybe it's time I stepped up my game, to see what he truly can do'._ The snake user was about to retort when a sharp crystal erupted from the earth, nearly impaling him, '_What?'_

He looked back at Naruto, only to find him amongst the Kiri and Kumo shinobi he had arrived with. They were standing with various versions of kunai and short swords, the blue-haired Kiri boy being the only one to have a big, broad sword. He was crouching with his hands slammed on the ground, looking at Orochimaru with those red slit eyes, and a grin that say 'come and get me if you can'.

"Hebi-teme! Where are my teammates?" the crimson-eyed Konoha-Genin growled and began pumping more chakra into the ground and directing it towards the Snake Sannin.

Orochimaru soon figure out what the Genin was up to and began slithering between the trees, hoping to outrun the large quantity of chakra in the ground. Soon enough he was running from crystals erupting from the earth, trying to pierce him in several places. Not enough with the hummingbirds' attacks', but now he also had to keep from getting pierced by killer crystals from the earth. His grin only grew larger and larger; if it continued this way, he would be perfect for _that_.

"So… Does anyone have any ideas to how we're going to stall him?" Karui said while being awestruck by Naruto's powers. Now, she knew that she was a fairly talented Kunoichi herself, one of the best in her generation, but if she was to go up against Naruto… She would need some serious luck to get through it… And Naruto need to be really unlucky. And the sky needed to fall… Yeah, she didn't stand a chance against him.

"The only way I see it," the small Hyoton girl said, catching their attention for a second, "is that we bombard him with jutsu to keep him busy until the Konoha ANBU arrives. It's already been a little while since that, erm… since Naruto send the message."

"Seems kind of risky if you ask me," Kouhei huffed.

Haku sighed at her less than cooperative teammate, "Do you have a better idea Kouhei-kun?"

Once again, Kouhei just settled with glaring at all the people there. Naruto sighed to himself; they were not getting anywhere like this. They needed to buy time – and a lot of it.

"Listen," the Kyuubi Jinchurriki said still crouching in the same position, "we're not going anywhere with arguing like this. If we continue, it will probably be the cause of our death." He paused to let it sink in to the six people behind him, who were all awfully quiet. "Haku-chan is right. This," he said, motioning to an Orochimaru grinning and laughing, "will not hold him off for long. I mean, for crying out loud, he is _laughing._ He is just playing with us. As soon as he gets tired of it, he can break out of it in a second. When he does that, we need to hit him with everything we got, all at once, and hope that it will entertain him for long enough. Got it?" They all nodded, not that he could see it. But when no one objected, he took it that they agreed.

As the Genin from Kumo, Kiri and Konoha went on to plan how to stall for time. While that happened, Orochimaru was beginning to get tired of the little game he was playing. He jumped up into the trees, having figured out that the crystals wouldn't be able to reach all the way up there, and spun around forming hand seals

**"**_**Fūton: Daitoppa!**_**"**

It was a much smaller version of the jutsu he had used on Team 7 before, much more like the one Naruto had used, but it did the job. Many of the birds were shattered in the strong wind, and the few lucky ones that didn't, were blown far, far away. He then turned towards the group of Genin, "Well? What's next?"

"Now!" Naruto commanded. Immediately the Genin started going through different hand-seals.

Orochimaru frowned: He knew that he can easily take them on, but getting bombarded with seven different jutsu wasn't anything to take lightly either – even if they only were Genin. He knew for a fact that Naruto was Chunin level, and the chances were that the Kumo Jinchurriki also was…

He didn't get to think of it anymore, as the Genin had finished their seals

"_**Hyoton**__: __**Tsubame**__**Fubuki**__!_" it came from Haku as the temperature in her immediate vicinity dropped, and several ice swallows formed and charged.

Chojuru settled on the _U_ seal, took a deep breath, and spat out a long water-stream, "_**Suiton**__: __**Mizurappa**__!_"

"_**Raiton**__: __**Raikyuu**__!_" Karui said with a frown on her face. Soon enough a crackling ball of lightning formed in the edge of her clasped together index-fingers. She pointed at the Konoha Sannin and shot the crackling ball of energy off with a grunt.

Kouhei settled on the dragon-seal smirking, finally able to show what _he_ was capable of, "_**Suiton**__: __**Ja**__**no**__**Kuchi**__!_" A long stream of water came out of several places of his body – hidden casks with water Orochimaru concluded, and formed into a long torrent of water, the first part of it taking shape of a snake's head.

"_**Denko**__**Sekka**__!_" Omoi said and slammed his hands into the ground, causing visible crackling lightning to run over it, towards Orochimaru.

Yugito barred all her teeth as she blew out a large quantity of fire, "_**Katon**__: __**Jigoku**__**no**__**Neko**__!_" The fire soon shaped into the front of a giant cat, well in the size of a large lion, with glowing yellow eyes.

"_**Shoton**__: __**Hasho**__**Koryu**__!_" Naruto said and channeled the remaining of Kurama's, chakra into the jutsu. Small crystals began forming in the air, ground, and trees, clumping together, getting bigger and bigger. It didn't take long before a big, crimson-red, crystal dragon charged towards the Snake Sannin, towering over all the other jutsu sent after him.

Orochimaru's eyes widened at the intimidating number of impressive jutsu that was making their way to him. Fast. He quickly went through seals.

BOOM!

/-/-/-/-/

Team 9 was jumping through the canopies when they heard the large explosion. They all stopped on their respective branch, the shockwave even reached them.

"What was that?" Lee asked with worry.

"Neji?" Tenten asked, "can you see anything."

"Already on it," Neji said with his clan's bloodline limit activated. After several seconds of tense silence he said, "I'm sorry, I can't see the explosion site. And I can't see Uzumaki-san- wait."

Lee and Tenten were deflated for a moment, before their tenseness returned.

Neji frowned, "What are they doing here?"

"What is it, Neji?" Tenten asked with her voice full of hope

"In a part of The Forest to the south-east from here is full team of ANBU-members" he answered in is monotone voice.

"A-ANBU?" the weapon-mistress asked, worries returning in full force.

"Hai"

"Why would ANBU be here…?" Lee asked trying to think really hard. '_What would Gai-sensei do?'_ the green-clothed boy asked himself. '_Duh! He would tell me that nothing is more important than to save a friend! Thank you, Gai-sensei!_'

"Never mind, it doesn't matter why they're here," Lee said, catching the attention of his teammates. "If Naruto-kun is in trouble, we need to help him."

Tenten nodded, trying to get rid of the growing pit in her stomach. "You're right Lee… Thanks," she said and smiled lightly at him. Neji didn't say anything. He just continued observing the part of The Forest with all the ANBU-members running around.

/-/-/-/-/

Hiruzen and the ANBU teams he had requested were running through the forest at speeds only reachable at high jounin level. To any normal Genin, they would be nothing but blurs. He was currently accompanied by Hotaru's team, while Usagi's team was scouting all around them. Each team had one Hyuuga member and one Inuzuka member. Apart from that, Usagi's team also had an Aburame member. If anyone could find Orochimaru, it was this team.

"Hokage-Sama! I've found him!" it came from the Hyuuga-member running a few meters from the old Hokage.

"Tell me where he is!" Hiruzen commanded

"He is at about two and a half kilometers to the north-northwest. And he is not alone"

"Who is he with?"

"It seems like there is seven additional persons there. Four of them have Genin-level chakra, two of them have Chunin-level chakra, and the last…"

"And the last? What is it?" Hiruzen asked, getting impatient.

"The last has more chakra than Orochimaru. Even more than you, Hokage-Sama."

'_Naruto!'_ Hiruzen though and took off in the direction of his grandson.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**(Anbu Masks)**

**Tora – Tiger**

**Neko – Cat**

**Hotaru – Firefly**

**Usagi – Rabbit**

**Hebi – Snake**

**U – Hare**

**Iguru – Eagle **

**Taka – Hawk**

**Kuma – Bear**

**Urufu – Wolf**

**Inu – Dog**

**Kitsune - Fox**

**Shoton: Kessho Hachidori -** **Crystal Release: Crystal Hummingbirds**: Many humming birds are formed from crystal, the birds then home on the target dodging simple jutsu that attempt to stop them. The birds upon reaching their target begin to either violently attack with their beaks like small blades or continue their flight, impaling the opponent before shattering, causing the wound to widen. When witnessing this technique the target is barely visible amongst the swarm.

**Fūton: Daitoppa – Wind Release: Great Breakthrough**: This is a relatively simple technique that creates a sudden gust of wind, but its scale varies greatly depending on the user. If used by a superior shinobi, it has enough destructive power to knock down a large tree. The wind from the squall can blow away all things in the user's line of sight. A variation of the technique involves a smaller blast of wind which gets ignited with flame.

**Hyoton: Tsubame Fubuki – Ice Release: Swallow Snow Storm:** The user creates a dozen large ice needles, which takes the shapes of swallows with razor-sharp beaks. These birds/needles can change direction in the air, at the will of the user.

**Suiton: Mizurappa – Water Release: Wild Water Wave:** Water gushes out from the mouth like a waterfall and washes away the enemy. One can freely control the power of this technique with the amount chakra one releases. Having many variations, this is a basic Suiton technique.

**Raiton: Raikyuu – Lightning Release: Lightning Ball:** The user draws the static electricity of the area and gathers it in one point – the top of the index fingers are easiest. The electricity takes form of a medium-sized ball of electrical energy, which can be launched at an enemy.

**Suiton: Ja no Kuchi – Water Release: Snake's Mouth:** The user generates a spinning column of water which takes the form of a snake with a gaping jaw. This snake can twist and follow its targets and swallow them. After it has swallowed them, it turns into a river that carries the enemy away.

**Denko Sekka – Lightning Flash:** The user slams his hand onto the ground and cause lightning to spread from his hand to underneath the opponent, causing the lightning to run through the opponent's body. It can be used on multiple enemies at once, though with lessening effect if used with the same amount of chakra.

**Katon: Jigoku no Neko – Fire Release: Inferno Cat:** A jutsu only used by Nii Yugito of Kumogakure. She channels minute traces of the Nib's chakra, and mixes it with her own Katon chakra. The result is an inferno cat, which slightly resembles the Ghost Cat herself.

**Shoton: Hasho Koryu – Crystal Release: Tearing Crystal Falling Dragon: **The user crystallizes a material in the area, and then turns it into a dragon. It can be used as a means to travel or to attack a target. Several dragons can also be made and manipulated at once.


	14. The Snake The Monkey and The Betrayed!

**Chapter 14:**** The Snake, The Monkey, and The Betrayed**

/-/-/-/-/

_Hiruzen and the ANBU teams he had requested were running through the forest at speeds only reachable at high jounin level. To any normal Genin, they would be nothing but blurs. He was currently accompanied by Hotaru's team, while Usagi's team was scouting all around them. Each team had one Hyuuga member and one Inuzuka member. Apart from that, Usagi's team also had an Aburame member. If anyone could find Orochimaru, it was this team._

"_Hokage-Sama! I've found him!" it came from the Hyuuga-member running a few meters from the old Hokage._

"_Tell me where he is!" Hiruzen commanded_

"_He is at about two and a half kilometers to the north-northwest. And he is not alone"_

"_Who is he with?"_

"_It seems like there is seven additional persons there. Four of them have Genin-level chakra, two of them have chūnin-level chakra, and the last…"_

"_And the last? What is it?" Hiruzen asked, getting impatient._

"_The last has more chakra than Orochimaru. Even more than you, Hokage-Sama."_

'Naruto!_' Hiruzen though and took off in the direction of his grandson._

/-/-/-/-/

Naruto and his friends from Kumo and Kiri shielded their eyes and bodies as their jutsu made contact with their target, creating a small explosion and sending shockwaves throughout the forest. The Konoha Shoton user winced in pain as a piece of rock hit him on the wrist, leaving a shallow cut. '_Damn it,'_ he thought, '_I still haven't recovered completely from last time I met him… I should've left a small amount of Kurama's chakra for healing and for my armor. I still have about half of my own left, but I want to save that for later… if there is any later that is.'_

Yugito coughed a few times, "Did we get him?"

"Don't count on it," Haku said already holding a few senbon, ready to attack.

"You're right about that, Hyoton user," it came in form of a laugh in the still dust-covered crater. "You really think that a bunch of Genin can take down one of the Sannin? One of the heroes of the Second Shinobi World War? Hah! You must be kidding yourself!" A gust of wind blew the last of the dust away, and uncovering Orochimaru with a face that looked half melted.

Naruto's eyes widened, '_It can't be! All those attacks, and he doesn't a scratch!? And what's up with his face? Must be part of the jutsu he uses to conceal his identity… Even so, even if we're way below his level, he shouldn't be able to go completely unharmed from that!'_ The rest of his… alliance seemed to react the same way. Yugito gulped, '_So this is the power of Konoha's Sannin…'_

"Where are my teammates? Where is Sakura-chan and Sasuke-teme!?" Naruto asked once again, even though he knew he wasn't on the winning side of the fight.

"Sasuke-kun? You shouldn't worry about them. He will either embrace my gift, or he will die. I have people making sure of it," the Snake said with a wicked grin. Orochimaru dusted off his right sleeve, "Well, now that that's over, let's proceed to the main act." He released a burst of Killer Intent way larger than the one he used before, making them all fall to their knees. The only ones able to withstand it just a bit were Yugito and Naruto. His eyes settled on Naruto as he smirked, "It doesn't matter if you want my gift or not; you're going to get it. I think I'm going to have a lot of fun with you and Sasuke-kun, my dear fox."

His fingers settled in a weird seal – one that looked oddly like the one Haku used when she used her Hyoton – and his neck expanded. Before Naruto or any of the other could blink, it was flying fast towards them – or rather, towards Naruto. He could see it come closer and closer, and he knew no matter what The Snake would do to him, it wouldn't be good. Twenty meters. Ten meters. Eight. Seven. Five.

Five shuriken flew out of the cottage flying towards Orochimaru with blinding speed, forcing him to abort the seal.

"OROCHIMARU! DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH ANOTHER SHINOBI OF KONOHA!"

Orochimaru's head snapped up towards a tree in the clearing, trying to see who the angry voice belonged to. When he saw who it was he couldn't help but smile. "It's been a long time… Anko-chan."

Said Tokubetsu Jounin jumped down from the tree, "Uzumaki, Kiri, Kumo, can you move?"

Naruto stood up with his feet feeling like jelly. He looked around to see to his friends. Only Yugito was standing up, and Haku about to. The other was still on the ground. There was no way that they were getting out of there like that. He turned to Anko, "Mitarashi-san, we won't be able to move for a little bit. And… Thank you."

Anko smirked; this gave her the excuse she wanted to go up against Orochimaru. She turned towards said missing-nin, "You are an extremely dangerous S-class wanted criminal. You have harmed Konoha more than enough, and I won't let you touch any more of _her_ children. That's why I'm going to kill you, even if it costs me my life. It's my job as your former subordinate who learned everything from you," she said and pulled five senbon needles from her coat. "Isn't that right, Orochimaru!?"

"You can't," it came mockingly from the Snake Sannin.

Anko narrowed her eyes and drew her hand back, ready to strike with her senbon. But Orochimaru was faster; his abnormally long tongue shot out of his mouth and struck at Anko's location. She jumped in the last second, getting above the newly made crater, with her senbon still in hand. She quickly gathered chakra at her soles, and began running backwards up the trunk of the tree. Orochimaru's tongue quickly followed. She jumped over to another tree, but to no avail; Orochimaru's tongue was faster, and it soon gripped her wrist, making her drop the senbon. It pulled her down fast, but she flipped over just in time, and landed on her feet and knee.

She seemed surprised – but just for a moment. She quickly got back into the game. With her right hand restricted, she pointed her left hand at Orochimaru with the back towards the ground.

**"Sen'eijashu!"** Four snaked emerged from or yellow coat and shot towards Orochimaru. He wasn't able to dodge, as he was currently tied to Anko via his tongue, so he couldn't do a thing as the snakes wrapped around him. "I won't let you get away again!" She pulled back so Orochimaru lost his footing, and threw him through the air, into the trunk behind Anko, and wriggled her hand out of his tongue in the process. Not one to miss an opportunity, she quickly retracted the snakes, laid her hand upon his, and drew a kunai through both their hands. She made eye contact with the Snake Sannin

"I got you. Orochimaru, I'm going to borrow your left hand," she said, and made a seal.

The Snake Sannin's eyed widened, '_That seal is…_'

Anko smirked, "That's right. You and I are going to die here." She took a deep breath to prepare herself for her death, **"**_**Ninpo: Sojasosai no Jutsu.**_**"** With that said she closed her eyes to let the sweet embrace of revenge and death sweeps her away. Or so she thought.

"Mitarashi-san! Watch out!" the girl from Kiri screamed at her, making Anko's eyes snap open.

Orochimaru's creepy laughter erupted from everywhere and nowhere, "Are you trying to commit suicide, my sweet, dear Anko-chan?" He emerged a few meters behind Anko, drawing her look to him. He ripped of his 'face' revealing the real one. "That's a Kawarmi."

She looked back at what she thought to be Orochimaru in horror, only to see it melt into mud. '_No! It can't be! I was so close!_' she screamed in her mind.

"You're one of the village's Tokubetsu Jounin, dear Anko-chan, so don't walk around and use Kinjutsu – Kinjutsu that I taught you nonetheless – like they were nothing," the Snake Sannin said while walking closer and closer to Anko.

Naruto tried to take a step, but fell to his knee the second he did. He looked back at his friends, only to see them in same or worse condition than himself. '_Damn it! I can't let her die for me – for us. Even if she is a Shinobi. I won't let that happen!'_

"Don't worry Naruto-kun, you will get your gift in time. Just let me take care of our little problem here first." Naruto just glared at Orochimaru in response – it was all he could do at the moment.

Anko pulled out the kunai she had punched through her hand and threw it at the other snake summoner. He simply caught it with two fingers, inches before his face. "I told you that it's useless," he said as he stopped and settled in half a Ram hand seal. Naruto felt a fast chakra spike from him, which then… upset something on Anko.

Anko froze up, and could do nothing as Orochimaru stepped closer, step by step. It felt like an eternity to Anko, but soon he stood right in front of her – the man she hated most in the world. She glared up at him, "I won't let you touch any Shinobi of Konoha – not even that Emo-brat of an Uchiha!"

Orochimaru laughed again, "We haven't seen each other in so long time, but you're treating me so coldly. And you're too late. Partly anyway. You interrupted me giving Naruto-kun here my gift, but I already gave Sasuke-kun it."

Anko's eyes widened: She was too late. "No," a whisper escaped her as she collapsed on her knees, a hand clasping between her right shoulder and neck.

"That's right," Orochimaru said as he kneeled down to Anko and held up the kunai she threw at him, "but you won't have to worry about that anymore. For you're going to die. Goodbye my dear Anko-chan." Anko closed her eyes and got ready for death once more – just this time around it wasn't so sweet.

Orochimaru drew his hand back and aimed. He moved his hand forward again, and-

"Orochimaru… You have really fallen a long way from grace, haven't you… my old student?"

All the shinobi present turned their heads to see none other than the Shinobi no Kami – The Sandaime Hokage. And he wasn't alone: There was ten ANBU with him – two full squads.

"JIJI," Naruto said strained, though still in his same cheered voice. The six shinobi beside Naruto looked at him with shock and horror across their faces – he had just called one of the most powerful shinobi in all of the elemental nations an old man. If anything like that happened in their respective villages, there would have been severe consequences.

All of the foreign shinobi had immediately got on alert as soon as the Hokage had appeared. While they knew that the old and powerful Hokage was most likely there to help them, he still was the leader of a rivaling village, and they knew nothing about him other than what they had read or been told. Because of that, they were nowhere near prepared for what their new friend had just said.

But the Sandaime seemed to smile lightly just a second as he nodded to Naruto, before he turned his attention towards their enemy, "Orochimaru, drop the kunai."

The Sandaime's old student just chuckled. "And why would I do that? I was just having a little chit-chat with an old disciple of mine. But if you insist." Orochimaru drew his hand back one last time and threw the kunai at the defenseless Anko.

She closed her eyes yet another time, only not to feel the stabbing pain. But maybe death didn't hurt? No, that couldn't be right. She opened her eyes slowly only to see the Hokage himself standing in front of her, the kunai nowhere to be seen.

"You will not take another life today, Orochimaru. I will make sure of that!" the old Hokage sneered to his old student.

The Snake Sannin looked around the clearing, waging his options. First, he was alone. Second, his opponents where many – seven Genin, ten ANBU, one tokubetsu jounin, and a Kage. He needed to get out of there now. He cracked a smile, "Well, not because this hasn't been delightful, but I will have to get going now. Too bad that I didn't get to give my gift to you, Naruto-kun." Faster than any of them could react he had made a seal-less Shunshin, disappearing in a puff of white smoke.

"Hotaru! Take command over Taka and Hato and pursuit Orochimaru! Usagi, you and the remainder of your team will scour this area. Make sure that there aren't any traps left from Orochimaru!" the Sandaime Hokage ordered and turned his attention to Anko.

"Hai," it came from the ANBU before they all disappeared in blurs.

While the Hokage was taking care of Anko, Naruto turned around and checked on his friends.

"Are you all ok?" he asked with concern in his voice. His eyes ran over the six people. None of them seemed to have any major injuries. Good. And they were slowly but surely recovering from Orochimaru's killer intent. Which meant that they could go find Sakura and Sasuke soon enough.

"I think I'm alright," said a slightly exhausted Yugito. She turned to her team, "Are you two managing?"

"Hai, Hai," Karui said.

"I am now, but what if-" Omoi began, but shut up as he saw the looks he was getting from the six other shinobi. "Hai, I'm fine."

"We're alright too. Right?" Haku half said, half asked Naruto and her teammates.

Chojuru stood up and fastened his broad sword to his back. "H-Hai. I'm a little low on chakra, but nothing else."

"It could be discussed what 'fine' is, but I suppose that I could be worse for wear."

Naruto nodded, "Good, then we ne-." Naruto swayed a bit as flashing images came flashing through his mind. It took him a few seconds to place two and two together, remembering it was the shadow clones. He frowned: it hadn't found his teammates. But it had found the Oto Genin team.

"Naruto-kun, are you ok?" Haku asked with concern

"Yeah. It was just one of my clones that dispelled," he replied.

"Did it find your team?" the redheaded Kumo Genin asked.

"No, it didn't." Naruto could see the disappointment in their eyes. "But it did find the Oto Genin's – it saw which way they were headed. And Orochimaru said that he had send people after them…"

"Are you sure they will lead us to them? Or even tell us? For all I know, we could be wa-" Kouhei began complaining, but then stopped for some reason. Naruto thought it odd, until he saw the faces on the other Genin. He turned around to see the old Hokage coming towards him.

"Naruto-kun, are you all right?" Hiruzen asked with concern, not caring that the foreign shinobi saw him like this.

"Yeah, I'm fine Jiji," the blond boy answered. As he looked at his grandfather, he remembered all the times that he had asked about his parents. And the answers he had gotten. Now that he thought about it, they had all been wage, or even avoiding the question that had been asked. And then he remembered the… episode, dream – whatever it was – he had seen while he had been out. The Yondaime Hokage, the red-haired woman, the baby-Naruto…

"Ojisan." Naruto said. Hiruzen was taken back at the change of tone. "When this exam is over, we need to talk."

Hiruzen looked at Naruto with a slight frown of concern. What could have happened in here that he needed to talk about? It couldn't be about Orochimaru, so what. He wasn't going to get the answer here, so he settled with a nod, "All right, my dear boy, when this is over. But if all of you are all right, then I need to go. Orochimaru have caused much trouble in Konoha in the short time he has been back…"

/-/-/-/-/

Sakura was sitting beside Sasuke. He was laying on the ground groaning and moaning in pain. Somehow after the fight with that weirdo. '_What was his name again?_' she asked herself as she wiped sweat off of Sasuke's forehead. '_Orochimaru… That was what he said his name was… It sounds familiar… C'mon Sakura! You're the brightest of your year! You should be able to remember a name!_' she berated herself. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn't think of it. She sighed and looked outside in

She and Sasuke were currently in a 'cave'. It wasn't really a cave, as it was under one of the larger trees. Somehow the tree had lifted, or the earth had been corroded away, leaving a well sized hollow beneath it. She didn't really care how it had been created, she was just happy she had found it.

After the fight with Orochimaru she had picked up Sasuke – boy had she been happy she had trained – and looked for a shelter as fast as possible. She had come by multiple places she could have hid, but none of them were defendable by one person. This place was: while it had three entrances – two of them rather small – they were all fairly close to each other, making it easier to watch them all at once. She had put traps outside the larger entrance and one of the smaller. She just hoped it was enough…

Sasuke groaned again, bringing Sakura back from whatever world she was thinking off. She looked at him with concern as his eyes moved rapidly beneath his eyelids. She laid her hand upon his forehead. '_His fever has gotten somewhat back to normal, but his fever… it just won't break. It's as high as ever.'_ She took out her water canteen and poured some new water over the clothing, '_I wish I could do more for him. For him and for Naruto. I have to become chūnin – that way they will start giving me lessons at the hospital. If I become a medic-nin I will be able to help both Sasuke-kun and Naruto much better.'_

She looked over the 'cavern' and the entrances, hoping to see a mess of yellow hair either sit here with her, or entering from being on lookout. '_Naruto… Please be Ok.'_ She was having a lot of mixed feeling about her blond teammate. Most of them being regret. The last few weeks, months even, since they graduated and became a team, the whiskered boy had really grown on her. '_Boy…'_ she mockingly thought to herself, '_I talk like I am way older and more mature than him. In truth, he is probably the most mature of us all…'_

Anyway, as she had learned to know him, her regret had grown, just as her friendship with him had. She suddenly found out that he wasn't such a pain – that he actually was a funny guy, who cared deeply for his friends. She had seen that first-hand the way he was around that girl Tenten…

And one day it had hit her how miserable she must have made his life. And how many times she had actually wished someone _dead_. A fellow citizen, and now shinobi, of Konoha. It was even worse when it was a real possibility now. First in Nami no Kuni, and now here in the forest.

'_No_,' she told herself sternly. '_Naruto is alive. He is probably the strongest Genin in Konoha. No matter how strong that Orochimaru-guy is, Naruto will find a way to survive!_' She felt herself brighten just the slightest up. She knew that it was true, but the nagging feeling in her stomach just wouldn't go away…

In a tree, not long from where Sakura was sitting and nursing Sasuke, were three shadowy figures – two males and a female. The shorter male, but by far the largest too, brushed some branches away, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Now he had a clear lookout to the pink-haired girl.

The bandages across his face stretched as he smile, "I found you. We're going to strike at daybreak, just like Orochimaru-Sama ordered us to do. Our target is strictly Uchiha Sasuke."

"But if the other one gets in the way, we can kill her, right?" the other male asked.

"Please, she won't be a problem. Look at her: She is one of those fan girls that give Kunoichi such a bad name. You can see it by her hair. She probably use more time on it than she does on training," the Kunoichi said mockingly.

"No matter," the shorter male said, "if she gets in the way, kill her. But if not, just stick to our target."

/-/-/-/-/

"Are we closing in on them?" it came once again from a very impatient Kouhei.

"Yes, Kouhei, my clone was dispelled just up ahead," Naruto said with irritation plain visible in his voice. And for a good reason: the Kiri Genin had been like all through the night. Apparently Kouhei didn't think they were going fast enough. '_Not that it can be helped_' Naruto though. And it was true: while they were all shinobi, they had grown up in three different nations, and every nation had trained their shinobi with minor and major differences. The biggest was probably how to travel.

The shinobi in Suna was masters of traveling in hot and sandy area, knowing how to run the longest while not losing too much water. Kumo shinobi were had a major advantage in higher altitude, with them growing up in Kumogakure high in the mountains. Iwa were great mountain travelers, knowing how to avoid the rocky areas that could crumble and cause landslides. Then there was Kiri who were well trained to travel through damp area. And finally Konoha – no shinobi of the same level, from another village, could outrun a Konoha shinobi through the forest. Hell, the students at the Shinobi Academy were trained in navigating the forest before learning how to throw a kunai.

And that Naruto and his companions couldn't go faster: Haku's and Yugito's teams simply wasn't used to the forest. Sure, they were fast, but they weren't Konoha shinobi. Kouhei was clearly better than the rest, and thus was the cause of his complaints. Naruto suspected that he wanted to find Sakura and Sasuke as soon as possible, so he could get away from Naruto. And while Naruto enjoyed his new friends company, Kouhei were a big pain in the ass…

"And what then?" Kouhei asked, causing groans from almost everyone else in the group. Even the quite Chojuru. "What!?" he sneered, "we may soon be where he saw them, but that is hours ago, since we have gone so slowly! They could be miles away! They cou- Watch out!"

They all turned in midair only to see several dozen shinobi tools flying towards them. Naruto thought fast and went through hand seals, "_**Kessho: **__**Rokkaku **__**Shuriken: **__**Ranbu**__!_" The air shimmered around the Konoha Jinchurriki. Then the crystals formed. Less than half a second after he had finished the seals, crystal shuriken was flying towards the shinobi-weapons, annulling them.

Naruto and Haku's and Yugito's teams landed on the next branch, drawing their weapons, and looked for their opponent. They all knew that if it was Orochimaru, or another maniac running the forests, they would be done. They all had some chakra left, but they hadn't really had a chance to rest since Naruto's blackout. And Naruto didn't even fully recover from that. They drew their weapons back as three spots of the forest began to move, beginning to come out from the shadows. When Naruto saw who was standing in front of him a large smile plastered itself on his face.

Team Gai had finally found Uzumaki Naruto.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**Sen'eijashu - Hidden Shadow Snake Hands: **This technique allows the user to eject snakes from their wrist or sleeve, usually after a punching motion. The snakes are used primarily to attack from a distance and, being snakes, can inflict multiple poisonous wounds on the victim's body or hold them in place. The snakes can also open their mouths to extend Kusanagi-like blades.

This technique can also be classified as a variation of the Kuchiyose no Jutsu. This technique can also produce snakes from different parts of the user's body, as seen when Orochimaru summoned a snake from his mouth to attack the Sandaime Hokage during their battle.

**Ninpo: Sojasosai no Jutsu – Ninja Art: Twin Snakes Mutual Death Technique:** This forbidden technique is a murder-suicide attack, killing both the user and the target. The user makes a one-handed seal with both their hand and the intended victim's. Two snakes are then summoned from the user's sleeve, biting both their wrists and killing them with deadly venom. When Anko Mitarashi used this technique against Orochimaru, he replaced himself with a clone to avoid harm, leaving Anko unable to finish the technique.

**(Anbu Masks)**

**Hato – Dove**

**Ondori - Rooster**

**Raku-N - Raccoon**

**Tori - Bird**

**Mausu - Mouse**

**Raion - Lion**

**Shinobi no Kami – God of Ninja: **A nickname given to the Sandaime Hokage – Sarutobi Hiruzen.

**Kessho: Rokkaku Shuriken: Ranbu – Crystal: Hexagonal Shuriken: Wild dance:** The user conjures several Hexagonal Shuriken, and shoots them at the target. More powerful than Kessho: Rokkaku Shuriken.

**My turn…**


	15. Spiraling Maelstrom

**Chapter 15: Spiraling Maelstrom**

**A/N**: Anyone wants to Beta this PM me. One for the previous chapters and for the current. Would greatly appreciate the help. Also need a Beta for my Dragon age story is anyone is willing.

/-/-/-/-/

_"And what then Uzumaki?" Kouhei asked, causing groans from almost everyone else in the group. Even the quiet Chojuru. "What!?" he sneered, "we may soon be where he saw them, but that is hours ago, since we have gone so slowly! They could be miles away! They cou- Watch out!"_

_They all turned in midair only to see several dozen shinobi tools flying towards them. Naruto thought fast and went through hand seals, "__Kessho:__Rokkaku__Shuriken:__Ranbu__!__" The air shimmered around the Konoha Jinchurriki. Then the crystals formed. Less than half a second after he had finished the seals, crystal shuriken was flying towards the shinobi-weapons, annulling them._

_Naruto and Haku's and Yugito's teams landed on the next branch, drawing their weapons, and looked for their opponent. They all knew that if it was Orochimaru, or another maniac running the forests, they would be done. They all had some chakra left, but they hadn't really had a chance to rest since Naruto's blackout. And Naruto didn't even fully recover from that. They drew their weapons back as three spots of the forest began to move, beginning to come out from the shadows. When Naruto saw who was standing in front of him a large smile plastered itself on his face._

_Team Gai had finally found Uzumaki Naruto._

/-/-/-/-/

As they landed Tenten and her team were immediately on edge spotting the foreign Genin with Naruto. Realizing his company lifts up his hand in stopping manner. Especially seeing his best friend's tense posture holding kunai tightly. Haku and Yugito quickly motion the others to stand down.

"Ten-Chan it's okay, these guys are our friends!"

She walks over cautiously as her eyes stay fixed on two Kunoichi standing beside her blond friend. "The Chakra flare?"

"Ran into Orochimaru," Naruto did not miss a beat.

"The Hebi-Sannin, why would he come here," Neji spoke while in his Jyuuken stance, eyes fixed on the Kumo Nin.

Kouhei looks annoyed as he could not stop himself; "Do we look like mind readers Hyuuga? Why don't you go find him and ask that question yourself?"

"Kouhei," Naruto and Haku yell in unison.

The Kiri Genin grunts as he folds his arms. Yugito steps up to talks in a civil tone; "My name is Yugito Nii, my team is the one who found Naruto injured and separated from his team. We patched him up and let him rest after he was sent flying by a powerful Fūton Jutsu, and attacked by some giant snake. Kiri appeared a few hours after and when the notice we were caring for Naruto they joined us."

Neji scoffs; "is that all you could come up with Kumo for an excuse? Pathetic."

"Oh kiss our asses Hyuuga! Do we look like the ones who tried to kidnap one of your own," Kauri letting her temper get the best of her.

"As far as I am concerned, I hold all of Kumo responsible. You all are nothing more than thieves," Neji spoke with clear venom in his tone.

The Nibi Jinchurriki narrows her cat-like eyes as she glares at Neji. No doubt he holds a grudge over what happen years ago with his clan and Kumo. But as far as she was concerned 'THAT' was the Raikage's fault for trying to steal a Doujutsu from a clan as dangerous as the Hyuuga's. She heard Matatabi growling some from Neji's hate and arrogance coming off him.

The female blond mentally scoffs; _like I can say anything… I used to be like him._

"**The hell if you were! This prick is just an asshole," **Nibi remarks sharply.

No matter how bad things got, Yugito did find a real friend in the feline two-tailed Bijuu. She mentally smiled at Nibi's defense of her container.

"Th… There is… N… No Need for… Violence," Chojuru trying to be a voice of reason.

"**ENOUGH!"**

The deep echoing roar from Naruto nearly makes the entire group of Genin jump. Looking over everyone slightly shivers at the cold angry gaze of Naruto as he scowls deeply. His cerulean eyes glare hotly at Neji as he walks up to and stops with his face just inches away from the older Genin.

"What is the code of a Konoha Nin?"

Naruto's out of the blue question got him several raised eyebrows. Neji lightly scoffs; "What is the point of this Uzumaki?"

"ANSWER MY FUCKING QUESTION!"

Neither wavers with their stare down as the tension was growing thicker by the second. Tenten fidgeted watching her friend being as angry, not too often as she seen this side of Naruto. Cerulean glares into lavender as Neji steadies his breathing with a sigh. "The code of Konoha is to never leave an ally behind."

"Right now the rest of my team is in danger and I do not know if they are even at a hundred percent health. And those Oto Genin who are under Orochimaru's orders mind you, are heading straight for them. Now frankly I know why you're so bent with Kumo, but at the moment I don't care. These two foreign Genin teams chose to help someone that is not even from their country. So unless you want to help rescue my team; GET THE HELL OUT OF MY WAY!"

"I thought you hated the Uchiha," Neji asks in earnest.

"Yeah he is an ass, but he is still my teammate. I do believe in loyalty Neji."

Silence returns as the two Konoha Genin stare harder at one another. While Neji internally bristled at Naruto's opinion of Kumo, he knew the Uzumaki was right. Comrades of his village were targeted by a dangerous traitor and must be lent aid. Sighing the Hyuuga folds his arms as he breaks his gaze.

"Very well, while I wash my hands on Kumo for the brief moment. I will help you."

Tenten and Yugito look genuinely surprised while Lee does his nice guy pose. "I will help as well Naruto-Kun. We will protect our comrades, and I will keep safe my dear Nobara-Hime!"

While everyone else sighed in exasperation of Lee's antics Naruto's eye twitched. _Was I really that annoying? No wonder Sakura-Chan hit me. And then there is that outfit…_

"**Oh like you can damn well talk Ningen who if I recall wore that 'please kill my ass now in a godforsaken orange jumpsuit'," **Kurama putting in his own two cents in the conversation.

_SHUT IT!_

Haku tilts her head slightly as she looks over to her blond friend. "Orders Naruto-Kun."

Blinking the Uzumaki notices everyone waiting patiently –impatiently in Kouhei and Karui's case- for orders. Taking a deep breath he focuses.

"Neji how far can your Byakugan see?"

"50 meters at most. What am I looking for?"

"The Oto Genin, we find them we find my team. Yugito, Haku-Chan I want you and your teams to…"

/-/-/-/

Her eyes shot open biting down a scream as her heart and breathing became erratic. That felt too real for Sakura, to have such a vivid nightmare. Letting herself regain her breathing she looks over to Sasuke. The last Uchiha was still unconscious and in pain from that strange mark that Orochimaru guy put on him… and somewhere he was also after Naruto. Was he going to do the same thing to him?

_No way! Naruto will be okay… he has to be._

But her worry only increased after the vicious explosions and level of killer intent flooding the whole forest. The knot in her stomach only grew more without her blond teammate present. All the while she kept going through the things of her life and how poorly she treated the blond. Yet it was Naruto and not Sasuke who took a lethal Suiton jutsu in Nami that could have killed her. During the escort mission when that missing Nin used his Katon to try killing her, Naruto defended her without even a moment of hesitation. Time and time again Naruto was there as her unspoken protector. And as always the question that rang her brain.

_Why? All I ever did was being cruel and belittle you. All I ever did was yelling at you and hurt you. Why do you always try to help me, be kind to me when I don't deserve it? You even been teaching me you're Taijutsu Form to help protect myself. How much do I truly mean to you Naruto-Kun?_

Hiding in the bushes not far from the cave entrance the Oto Genin watch quietly.

"When I give the signal we strike," Dosu said sternly. "We take the Uchiha and deliver him to Orochimaru-Sama."

"And that bubblegum princess? What do we do with her," Kin asks.

"That's easy," Zaku smirks as he looks at his team. "We break her. Give her a taste of what real shinobi life is like."

"Just say rape her Baka. Heh, sounds like fun," Kin says licking her lips.

Dosu shook his head; "You two can play with her after we have the Uchiha. Then she is all yours." _Honestly I got stuck with monsters worse than that Uzumaki boy. But without the Jinchurriki here this will be easy. Still, I did want to see how good he really was. Oh well, raping and killing that girl should get his dander up. How will you react to that Uzumaki?_

/-/-/-/-/

A snap of a twig sent her Kunoichi senses on alert. Pulling a kunai with an unsteady hand, Sakura ran out to face whatever was coming. The rosette steels herself getting into a defensive stance as the Oto Genin appear.

"Brave to get in our way girl. But our objective is the Uchiha. Now stand aside," Dosu orders.

"Why do you want Sasuke-Kun?!"

"That's our business bitch, so move or die," Kin retorts with senbon in her hand.

Sakura glares as she stands firm. _Naruto would not show fear; these guys would be like nothing to him!_

Zaku smirks darkly as he shrugs; "If you think your precious blond boyfriend will save you tough luck. Orochimaru no doubt has him and gave him the Curse Mark. Soon he will be one of us."

"NEVER," Sakura roars gripping her kunai so hard it bleeds.

Kin scoffs; "and why would want a filthy Jinchurriki anyway? All they are demons in human skin."

Sakura tilts her head in confusion, Dosu noticed and took over. "Guess he never told you did he? Tell me wasn't the Uzumaki born October 10th? What else happened that day?"

_October 10__th__, that was… _Her jade eyes widen in realization. "The Kyuubi No Kitsune."

"That's right. Your precious Yondaime fought against the most powerful Bijuu of all times. But he could not kill it, so he did the only thing he could do. Sealed it into a newborn child and that child happen to be none other than Naruto Uzumaki."

"Your Yondaime must really hate the little punk to stick a demon inside of him," Zaku spoke up smugly.

She felt her body go numb as time stood still. Her mind racing almost a hundred miles a minute as things were slowly beginning to make sense to her. Images of Naruto alone, abused, the glares of hate and scorn. Then a sick realization hit her, she acted just like them! She was… She was… tears began to prick from her eyes.

"NOW!"

In a blink the Oto Genin charged seeing the rosette was distracted.

"**Shoton: Hasho Koryu!"**

The three skid to a stop as they look up seeing in their horror as a massive crystal dragon coming down at them as it roars. The rosette eyes widen, _it's HIM!_

"Scatter," Dosu commands.

"I don't think so; **Hyoton: Namida Reito!"**

In seconds frozen spikes shot up from the ground attempting to impale the Oto Genin who have to thank their Sensei for teaching them evasion. To their left they see of all things a Kiri Kunoichi glaring hotly at them, her two Kiri shinobi comrades with weapons ready beside her.

"You will pay for trying harming Naruto-Kun's friends."

Sakura feels warm hands grab her from behind and leap away as the dragon erupts hitting into the ground. Landing on top of a branch above the scene, being put gently to the ground her eyes slowly look up to her savior. Kneeling at her side with his foxlike smile, Naruto's cerulean eyes almost send a wave of calm through her body.

"Sorry it took so long," he whispers. "Are you okay Sakura-Chan?"

Her body only shook as her tears welled up from her eyes; before Naruto could say another word he was tackled down by a near bone crushing hug. This was a first, when did Sakura ever hug him, much less touch him unless it was an oncoming beating. His cheeks went red while his mind went blank.

"I'm so sorry Naruto," she kept repeating as if a mantra.

Slowly his arms wrapped around her; "Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong."

Her face soon lifted as she was still crying. "Why didn't you tell me you were Jinchurriki?"

Instantly his body went rigid as fear showed in his eyes. "How… How do you…"

"The Oto Genin told me. And it finally explained everything. Why the glares, why you always hated and scorned… and I'm no better than them!"

"Like hell you're like them!"

"How can you defend me!? After everything I did to you? I was a complete witch to you!"

Letting go of their hug but resting his hands on her shoulders they look each other in the eyes. "Sakura-Chan, all those times you hit me was when I was either acting out of control or being an idiot. You kept me in line."

She shook her head; "that does not give me the right to make fun of you like I did! Act like I so much more mature than you. When all this time you were the most adult of us all. You even went out of your way to teach me you're new Taijutsu."

Naruto only gave a warm grin; "the fact that you care enough to feel regret proves what a good person you are. When we were in class, besides Iruka-Sensei only you ever helped me with classes. Well some until Sasuke showed up."

The rosette winced at that part. Remembering the moment the Uchiha came into class she ignored Naruto like everyone else. "You went out of your way to help me when no one else cared if I was even breathing. That's why…"

"That's why," Sakura's breath hitched as her heart started running a hundred miles a minute.

"That is why I love you Sakura Haruno. Even if you really hate me now."

Gently letting her go Naruto looks down sternly at the battle below. Without another word he jumps down knowing his lifelong crush is safe. The rosette's eyes remain fixed on him as a pair of crystal Katana swords appear in each hand.

"How could I ever hate you…? Naruto-Kun," she whispers as she watches the battle.

/-/-/-/-/

**The spiral Tower**

After his search turned up empty or any signs of his former student Orochimaru. Hiruzen went to the tower at the center of the forest of death with Anko. Having given the orders for the Anbu patrols to comb every inch of the place, he knew they would not find his former student. Already returned to his Hokage robes he stands over Anko who sits on a couch being helped by a Medic Nin.

"Hokage-Sama I'm fine," the young Kunoichi sighs tiredly.

The old Kage looks at her evenly; "I will say when you are fine Anko. No let my medic does her job."

The Tokubetsu Jounin sighed and bowed her head. Leaving the room two Anbu with a wolf and hawk masks appear kneeling.

"Report Urufu, Taka."

"We have scoped through 1/3 of the training grounds and found nothing Hokage-Sama," Urufu speaks up.

Hiruzen nods not really surprised of there being no trace of Orochimaru. The old Kage's face turns to concern as he looks at his men. "How is Naruto-Kun fairing?"

The Anbu men look at each other. "From what we have learned he was the one who created the alliance between him, those Kiri Genin, and Kumo. They are currently engaged against the Oto Genin. Kuma, Neko, and Usagi are watching them."

"I want reports on their progress. The fact Naruto was able to bring together two foreign Genin groups together speaks volumes. If Naruto is able to pull together and alliance from a village we are considered to be hostile with, he is without question his father's son."

"HAI!" The two bow and vanish in Shunshin.

Though tense as he chews on his pipe he cannot help but feel a sense of pride from Naruto's actions.

_So he did take after you also Minato. A natural born leader, he will make a fine Gondaime when he is ready. But still that look in your eyes, why do I feel I know what it is you will ask me Naruto… perhaps you really are ready to know, and this heart can't keep hurting my most promising grandson. When you arrive at the tower, I just hope you will not hate me for my actions._

/-/-/-/-/

Kin dodges several deathly strikes from Karui and Omoi while also trying to avoid the large mammoth sword from Chojuru. Zaku was having his hands full with Team Guy, while Yugito, Haku, and Kouhei were going after Dosu. While they did have the numbers, this supposed Oto '_Genin'_ were holding their own quite well.

"Kiri and Kumo, who would have thought you would aid Konoha," Dosu tries a distraction while looking at the Hyoton user. "Naruto-Kun? Are you to say you have feelings for a demon?"

Yugito snarled some while Haku only stared more coldly; "having a demon sealed inside you does not make them a demon. And I will not allow anyone to insult Naruto!"

The Oto Nin snickers while he avoids Haku's senbon, and ducks from nearly being slashed by Yugito's elongated and razor-sharp fingernails. Since engaging the Kumo Kunoichi his eyes were focused on her, as if his senses told she was more dangerous than the others. As he was about to go on the offensive when spotting an opening the leather crack sound echoes as a whip grabs his wrist and holds him. Growling he looks to see Kouhei smirking as he holds his enemy.

"Going somewhere? Naruto!"

Looking skyward the bandaged Nin widens his visible eye as Naruto is coming down with two crystal swords in each hand. Within second thee blades ran through his chest, but only to have run through an actual block of wood.

_Kawarmi!_

"Think I would be that easy Uzumaki!"

Going for a reverse roundhouse, the blond's kick intercepts Dosu's fist as the two glares hard at each other. Though bandaged, Naruto could see a smirk from the Oto Genin.

"In all honesty, wanted to fight you since I saw that little display in the first exam. Must say I am glad Orochimaru did not put the Curse Seal on you yet."

Mentioning the Sannin's name brought out a deep throaty growl from the blond. The two flip back from each other while Naruto, Haku, Yugito, and Kouhei get in their respected stances. Dosu stood firm, though he knew he was clearly outnumbered, he was impressed by the sight of three villages joined forces. However his focus was only at Naruto.

"What do you say Uzumaki? Orochimaru-Sama already claimed Sasuke, it will only a matter of time before he takes you. Why not join us willingly, do you have any real reason to stay in weak excuse for a village that did nothing but abuse you?"

No one could read Naruto's face which made Haku slightly concerned, which faded seeing that foxy smirk. "True, this place might hate the fact I was born. But there are some in this place that do care about me. And for them, and my dream, I will defend Konoha with my life, Dattebayo!"

"So a loyalist to the end huh? Well that's fine, we break them too."

The two were silent but Naruto heard the unspoken challenge. His eyes shift to Haku who picks up the message in her friend's eyes.

"Kouhei, Yugito hang back. Naruto will deal with this one."

"You serious," Kouhei objects until being glared at by Haku. "Whatever…"

Yugito looks over to Naruto who looks back. Nodding the three go to help the others. Dosu mentally smirks. _Now let's see what you can do Uzumaki…_

/-/-/-/-/

High on her branch Sakura watches as Naruto takes on the Oto Genin leader all alone. Her jade eye miss nothing while at the same time her mind keeps playing what her blond teammate said to her.

"_That is why, I love you Sakura Haruno. Even if you hate me now."_

Why would she hate him? Because she knows the truth about him now? She shakes her head, she could never hate him! If anything her respect for him grew in spades. He is the jailor, he protect them all from the Kyuubi sealed inside him. Even if she could not reign in her feelings at the moment, one thing was clear and steady.

_I won't ever let you fight alone! _

_**CHA! LET'S KICK SOME ASS! SHENNARO!**_

/-/-/-/-/

Their weapons danced as Naruto and Dosu fought viciously against the other. Duel kunai against crystal swords, mixing in their Taijutsu in their fight, both found little to no weak spots to exploit. At the same time both mentally had to admit, it was rather refreshing finding someone on the same equal footing to fight against.

"Why is Orochimaru here," Naruto demanded.

"Join us and find out Uzumaki!"

Their weapons become deadlocked as they glare inches away from the other face. "For decades he abandoned this place. Now he shows up?! He can't be just after Sasuke and me. TELL ME DOSU!"

Only mock laughter comes from the Oto Genin, but both go silent as they hear a roar above them.

"NARUTO-KUN MOVE!"

Looking up the Kyuubi Jinchurriki widens his eyes seeing a now gloved Sakura double upping her chakra infused fist at Dosu.

"BRING IT DOWN!"

Naruto leap away just in seconds as the Oto Genin was slammed with the force of a battering ram from Sakura's fist. The ground erupted under Dosu as he felt only half conscious and in intense pain from the right hook from the rosette. Everyone other than Naruto was in awe of the raw power they just saw from a civilian-born. Even Haku was speechless; this was not the same Uchiha fan-girl she remembered.

Performing a successful backflip Sakura lands beside her blond teammate who looks almost spellbound by her power. But before he could say anything she turned and looked him straight in the eye sternly.

"If you ever think one minute I hate you because your Jinchurriki I will kick your ass all over Konoha." Her jade eyes soften some. "You're no demon, nor could you ever be one. Your Naruto Uzumaki, the future Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato! No time to show them why you're the strongest Genin amongst us! Shennaro!"

Blinking for a few seconds a small smile crossed his lips, not the one Sakura normally sees. But rather this was the one he never showed anyone. It held so much emotion, the rosette wonder if this was the real Naruto smiling.

"Thank you," he spoke in a whisper.

Both soon turn serious as a Dosu slowly and painfully rises to his feet. The two members of team 7 take the same Taijutsu stance when an idea pops in Naruto's head. _Well, Ero-Sennin always said I get things down better in high risks situations. Might as well try it._

"Sakura-Chan, watch my back."

"Got it!"

Taking in heavy breaths, the Oto Genin glares as Naruto sprints full speed at him. Dosu roars as he follows suit against his enemy. Same time Naruto was mentally going through the steps Jiraiya had spoken to him. Sakura, Haku, and Yugito watched Naruto's right hand as they soon saw chakra slowly forming into baseball size orb. The rosette and Tenten eyes widen in realization.

_He… He mastered it!_

Ducking under a roundhouse kick from his Oto enemy, Naruto rears back as he slams the ball of condensed spinning chakra into Dosu's chest. "Looks like you get to try this first!"

"**RASENGAN!" **

Everyone stops as they hear Dosu roar in pain as he sent flying like a ragdoll into and through several large trees. Kin and Zaku watched in fear as they saw the strongest Genin of Oto just taken out from the supposed Dead-last of Konoha! Yugito and her group watch in awe, just how many surprises did this guy have up his sleeve? Lee looked like a deer caught in the headlights while Neji was genuinely shocked. Kouhei and Chojuru were not fairing any better, and were silently hoping they never have to fight Naruto ever in any situation. The ones cheering the blond was Tenten and Sakura, both know just how hard Naruto was trying to get that damn Jutsu down and mastered. Haku all the while felt her heart racing as she could not stop looking at the last Uzumaki. Once again he has proven to her that he is the most unpredictable Shinobi ever to exist today. Her respect and admiration of him jumped even higher, as well as a feeling she could not yet recognize.

With a huff Naruto now looks over to Kin and Zaku's direction. They pale as they see the cold angry stare with his cerulean slit eyes. "Get lost, and take your friend with you…"

The two did not need to be told twice as they quickly grabbed their teammate and Shunshined away. Everyone can finally relax while Naruto groans as he sits on a branch. Sakura to his surprise sat beside him and rested her head on his shoulder. A first in his books, but he said nothing as je saw how tired she was, and her exhaustion showing in her eyes.

"Can we not do that again," she mumbles.

"Take on one of the Densetsu No Sannin? Completely agree to never do that again."

He sees his crush's eyes widen till she groans as she rubs her temples with a gloved hand. "I cannot believe I missed that. Some academic genius I am," she snorts.

The blond rubs her back, which sends warmth through her that relaxes her tension. "It was in the heat of battle, and remembering our history lessons was not on our list of priorities."

She only grunts feeling her body being to relax to talk now. Shaking his head he looks over to see Yugito and Haku walk over to him.

"Thank you, I am really grateful for your help."

Haku smiles; "It's was friends do. And besides will see this through together."

Naruto tilted his head in confusion while Yugito giggle at him. "She means we decided to stick around up until we reach the tower. No one said we could not join forces, so why the hell not."

"Hey don't forget me!"

They look over to see Tenten tapping her foot impatiently. "You think for one minute I am leaving you alone to fend for yourself Naruto, you got another thing coming."

"How will Neji take hearing that," Naruto says in a deadpan tone.

"Oh he will agree, or get punished if he says no."

Naruto, Yugito, and Haku mentally shudder at the sickly sweet tone coming from the weapon mistress. They felt a little sorry the Hyuuga, if only a little bit. Before Naruto could speak to them Lee ran to him with stars in his eyes.

"THAT WAS SPECTAULAR BATTLE NARUTO-KUN! YOUR YOUTHFUL FIRE BURNS A BRIGHT AS THE SUN! WE MUST SPAR MY FRIEND!"

Everyone sweat-drops while Kouhei looks over to Neji along with Karui. "Is he seriously like that?"

"No it can be worse," Neji grumbles shaking his head.

"It is official, Konoha is full of weirdoes," Karui whispers to Omoi.

Her teammate only nods in agreement while getting out a new lollipop. As they all took the time to catch their breath a powerful wave of killer intent washed over the area. While not as strong as Orochimaru's, it was enough to get everyone's attention. Looking over everyone saw visible purple chakra spiraling upward like a small tornado with a lone figure standing in its eye. The energy was powerful enough to kick up the wind around them as everyone tensed up. Both Naruto and Sakura widen their eyes as they see glowing pair of Sharingan eyes glaring at them. But something was off, really off. The hate and malice in Sasuke's eyes glare hotly at one figure in the whole group.

"Naruto…"


	16. Author's Note

A/N: For the guest who wrote the nasty review for Shoton of me stealing ideas and my ending belonging to another fic. Let me make this clear. I have been a writer for over twenty years. And I may take insults because I know my grammar is bad. That was not learning to read till I was 16. But to make an insult that I steal ideas and plagiarize when I bust my ass to get the details of my stories down right. Is an insult, but your insult is weak when you too cowardly to mention your name or even this supposed Fanfiction I ripped off of. From fellow authors who like me are love to write a story for others to read. who work their asses of to make a good stories like i do. I'd rather cut off my fucking arm than insult a fellow lover of writing than take hard earn work. I might be slow and not the best at grammar, but FUCK YOU to anyone who say I steal.

To those who love my work and what I do, i am not going anywhere, I apologize for not being the fastest writer, but hope you stick with me with the tales I tell.


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